A day after the Punjab Cabinet approved a proposal for setting up a web portal to offer home delivery of liquor in Mohali city on an experimental basis under Punjab Excise Police 2020-21, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday condemned the Congress government for the proposal.

Terming the proposal, which the government wanted to run as a pilot project in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) in the first phase as shameful and unmindful of the sentiments of the people, former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said after running away from providing Ghar Ghar Rozgar (employment for each household),  the Amarinder Singh government was offering Ghar Ghar Sharab (liquor for each household).

He said the very fact that it had been made and publicised spoke volumes about the mindset of the Congress government.

“This insensitive government can do anything to fulfill the coffers of its near and dears but it cannot do one thing to improve the lot of lakhs of unemployed youth all of whom were promised an unemployment allowance of Rs 2,500 per month till the time all of them were provided jobs by the state, “ Cheema said.

“Forget fulfilling this promise, the Congress government now wants unemployed youth to drown their sorrows by ordering liquor online. This will not only increase alcoholism among the youth but also lead to a law and order problem”, the Akali leader added.

Asking Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to nip this evil in the bud, Dr Cheema demanded action against the officials who wanted to implement this proposal which was bound to cause hurt to the sentiments of the people as well as causing social unrest.

He said it should also be ascertained if this decision was taken to provide undue benefit to a minister from Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar who was into the liquor trade.

“Simultaneously a probe must be ordered into this disgusting episode as it also goes against the spirit of the constitution whose Section 47 clearly states that the State shall work towards prohibiting intoxicants. Here we have a State which is not only encouraging consumption but has turned this into a State policy by getting into the business of home delivery of liquor,” Cheema said.

He said the SAD would not let this nefarious conspiracy to divert youth towards alcohol consumption succeed at any cost. “We will launch an agitation against any attempt to start home delivery of liquor in the State”, he said.

A government spokesperson on Friday said on experimental basis, the government may introduce an online platform for home delivery of liquor in Mohali city. It will be done in consultation with all the retail licensees of the city.

An official said that if all licensees agree, the home delivery of liquor could be introduced by charging a nominal delivery fee.