012 Gandhiji's 1921 message on liquor prohibition

Here is the message of Mahatma Gandhi on liquor prohibition. The message was given in 1921.

MESSAGE ON LIQUOR PROHIBITION[1]
[23rd January 1921]
It gives me pleasure to hear that the movement to refrain from liquor is in progress. If this vice is abandoned it will give purity to our non-co-operation movement: it will help towards obtaining swaraj. Notices will come out shortly for the sale of liquor shops. Nobody should attend the auction nor take out a licence. If anybody takes out a licence, none should visit his shop to buy liquor. By this means the wicked vice will be everywhere destroyed.
Yours , e t c .,
M. K. GANDHI

ybrao a donkey's comments
*The President of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (2011) is Mr. Botsa Sathyanarayana, who is also a Minister in State Cabinet.

*Some internal squabbles are going on in A.P. Congress. Vigilance Department of A.P. Government, consequently, studied the liquor trade in Andhra Pradesh and submitted a very damaging report.

*There is a public demand that PCC President is a part of the State's Liquor lobbies and Liquor Syndicates. You will be astonished to know the gist of the reply of Mr. Botsa Sathyanarayana to his critics: "I have only 31 liquor shops. Only 27% share. I have already written a letter to the State Chief Minister to conduct an enquiry on the businesses of the 160 Congress M.L.As.".

Mr. Botsa Sathyanarayana, apparently believes that an impartial enquiry will not be conducted probably because many of the 160 Congress M.L.As. have links with liquor syndicates.

*A few days back 18 people died and several others were hospitalised by consuming liquor adulterated with 'methyl alcohol' at Mylavaram, Krishna District.

*IMFL liquor syndicates say that because they are boycotting the sale of bottled liquore, the spurious country-liquor has become the only thirst-quencher for the people. The IMFL liquor lobbies want to have a monopoly of liquor trade with flexibility to sell at any rate above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) printed on the bottles.


*State's country liquor trade is estimated at Indian Rupees 40 billion or approx 800 million dollars. State's Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) business has an approximate turnover of Rs. 50,000 crore ($10 billion?). Palm liquor (called kallu in Telugu) market is worth another Rs. 1,000 crore or (approx. 200 million dollars?).

*If this is the size of liquor trade in Andhra Pradesh which is only one of the 28 States in India, what will be the size of the All India liquor trade?

*Obama or Cameron or Sarcozi or Angela or the Italians or the Chinese do not properly realise the size of the Indian liquor markets and the opportunities which will be opened to them by our beloved great leader Sonia Gandhi and another beloved Great leader Mr. Manmohan Singh.