0

New Delhi: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya believes the deaths caused by spurious liquor in Gujarat should make politicians realise that prohibition is a “farce” and it cannot be enforced.

“The farce of prohibition which cannot be enforced leads to illegal, unhygienic and unsupervised production of deadly cocktails which claim innocent lives. It is about time that the political masters face reality in the interest of people,” said Mallya, chief of United Breweries, India’s leading liquor company.

Mallya urged Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to rethink the state’s prohibition policy, which he claimed was to blame for liquor smuggling in the state.

“Narendra Modi knows fully well that every brand of alcohol is available in the state of Gujarat at two or three times the price charged in neighbouring states,” he said.

The Gujarat government rejected Mallya’s suggestions. “Mallya should not interfere in our matters; he should look after his liquor business. He should keep his policies to himself--we don’t need suggestions,” said state government spokesperson Jaynarayan Vyas.

More on: Vijay Mallya, Gujarat hooch deaths, prohibition