Tamil Nadu's political parties may be raising their glass to prohibition but in neighbouring Puducherry, known for its cheap yet good quality liquor, there's not a murmur about going dry. The same parties contesting in Tamil Nadu are also in the fray in Puducherry.
PMK is the sole contestant that's keeping up the prohibition talk in Puducherry. AIADMK, DMK and other parties stridently advocating it in Tamil Nadu seem to have no interest in turning Puducherry dry. Politicians in the Union territory say Puducherry's French culture will make imposing prohibition impossible.
"Prohibition will not work in Puducherry. Our region has been regarded as a window to French culture. Our lifestyle is different from that of the people in TN," said All India NR Congress general secretary V Bhalan. "You must not forget that two people were killed in police firing during a protest demanding lifting of prohibition in Puducherry on January 28, 1978, when we were under President's rule."
DMK leaders are also not for prohibition in Puducherry but want liquor sales regulated. "Consuming alcohol is not taboo here. They drink moderately to celebrate any occasion," said a DMK leader.
AINRC's Bhalan said his party will clearly state in its manifesto that it is against prohibition. "We have to take the cultural aspects of the region into account before making a decision. Puducherry is a tourist destination. Tourism and liquor are the two major revenue generators for the region,," Bhalan said. The government generates 500 to 600 crore in revenue from liquor sales every year over the past five years.
PMK Puducherry secretary J Gopalakrishnan, however, said his party will advocate total prohibition though he did not explain how they will generate alternative sources of revenue. "Has any forum undertaken a survey on the effects of alcohol on people and their families in Puducherry? People here start drinking at an early age and die before they turn 45," he said.
A Congress leader said ban cannot be a solution. "The territory's economy will be ruined if prohibition is enforced. It will wipe Puducherry off tourism map," he said.