MNS president Raj Thackeray urges opening of liquor shops in Maharashtra

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray here on Thursday asked the state government to drop ‘moral issues’ and permit liquor shops and restaurants to resume forthwith to enable it earn badly-needed revenue for its near-empty coffers. In a letter to his cousin and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the MNS chief said since March 18, the state was in lockdown — first till March 31, then till April 14 and now extended to May 3 — with no certainty when it would be lifted. In such times, there was no harm in keeping this option (wine shops) open since it’s not intended to cater to the needs of the alcohol consumers but to start generating income for the government, Raj Thackeray said. “The excise duty generated for the state via liquor amounts to Rs 41.66 crore daily, or Rs 1,250 crore monthly and Rs 14,000 crore yearly,” he said. (IANS)

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