Congress, AAP condemn Gujarat prohibition but not in unity

In Gujarat, prohibition has been one of the low-hanging political fruits for the Opposition to grab, thanks to its dubious show as a policy despite being in practice for several decades. The matter came into focus once again recently when Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani tore into the state administration led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the effectiveness of prohibition, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), another Opposition party, was also trying to reap the benefits.

The Opposition parties have not spared the government despite its decision to relax prohibition in Surat’s diamond bourse; the Rann Utsav, the state's popular annual winter cultural festival that lasts 100 days in Dhordo, Kutch; and Ekta Nagar in Narmada district, a newly formed township that is home to the Statue of Unity.

What makes the prohibition debate interesting in Gujarat, long ruled by the BJP now, is that the two Opposition parties are not necessarily united despite their common anti-prohibition stance.

Mevani triggers anti-prohibition noise

The latest noise over anti-prohibition received traction when Mevani slammed at a party event in Tharad in the newly formed Vav-Tharad district in north Gujarat — the rampant sale of liquor in the ‘dry’ state and the alleged failure of the police to tackle it.

Also read: After GIFT City 'success', Gujarat to ease liquor ban at 3 more places

Mevani held a protest march to the office of the local superintendent of police and accused the local officers of indulging in corruption after some local women complained to him about the open sale of liquor, cannabis and harder drugs. The MLA escalated the matter by questioning the leadership of Harsh Sanghavi, the deputy chief minister and home minister of Gujarat. Mevani even demanded his resignation on the grounds of failing to curb the issue and remove corrupt police officers.

Speaking to The Federal, the Congress leader said, “The home minister should resign along with Vikas Sahay, the Director General of Police of Gujarat, as neither of them has been able to curb the menace of drugs and liquor from circulating rampantly across the state.

“It is common knowledge that the bootleggers operate with impunity and in open. Drugs worth Rs 64,000 have been confiscated in Gujarat in the last four years along the coastal districts, and there is no way of knowing how widespread the fangs of the booming business within the state are. Who is sending these drugs in Gujarat, and what is the share and role of the state police in the business? So far, the government and its police have been a total failure in curbing the issue. So, the least it could do is be transparent and provide the correct data on the amount of drugs ceased.”

Also read: Low on alcohol, how wine is rising high on NE alcobev charts

Mevani also sought a special Assembly session to discuss the issue and asked the state government to come up with a blueprint on tackling the menace.

Deputy CM hits back

As the Opposition legislator targeted the BJP government over liquor, drugs and gambling dens that are allegedly spreading across Gujarat fast, supporters of the BJP and Sanghavi hit back at him. Families of several police personnel took out protest rallies against the Congress leader in Banaskantha and Vav-Tharad districts. Even the deputy CM was seen engaging in a verbal duel with Mevani.

"These people who consider themselves highly educated and apparently hold multiple degrees as well, but they lack proper values when they visit a government official’s office. Threatening an on-duty police officer and telling him he can be dismissed from service and his badge should be taken is very unbecoming of an Opposition leader,” Sanghavi said, while assuring state police officers that their jobs were secure.

Opportunity for AAP

Amid the din with Gujarat’s two major parties locking horns, the third bloke in the ring, AAP, found a golden opportunity to make it relevant. In a surprising turn of events, the party, which has been politically ambitious in Gujarat over the past few years, found itself on the same page with the Congress with which it severed its alliance in July. It even accused both the Congress and the BJP of making a secret deal.

Also read: AAP, Congress target BJP as Delhi air quality plummets: 'India Gate disappeared'

The two parties have steered clear of each other, so much so that they even contested this year’s by-elections in Visavadar and Kadi separately.

'Mevani has said nothing wrong'

However, Mevani has found supporters in the AAP. Gopal Italia, the party’s MLA from Visavadar and a top official of the party in the state who rose to prominence with his protest against the state’s alleged failure to implement prohibition, told The Federal, “Mevani has said nothing wrong. The fact that liquor is sold very openly via bootleggers across Gujarat is known to everyone, from ministers to police officers to lower-ranking personnel. It is a well-oiled system that runs smoothly owing to corrupt police officials. I have seen this first hand during my days as a police constable.”

“Instead of taking strict action against corrupt police officials, the government has decided to relax the prohibition law in additional places along with GIFT City. This decision exposes the BJP government’s lack of will to address the issue. Besides, why is Harsh Sanghavi so aggravated by Mevani’s remarks? Sanghavi has also threatened a police official in the past in Surat. So how is he now talking about values?” he asked.

Also read: AAP alleges ‘fake’ Yamuna ghat made for PM Modi; BJP hits back

The AAP has been known for its opposition to Gujarat’s prohibition policy over the years. Like the Congress, it has also been carrying out anti-liquor and nasha-mukt (drug-free) Gujarat rallies across the state since November 30.

Opposing prohibition gives the party an easy opportunity to make a mark in a state where it is yet to make its imprints deeper, but political observers feel that even the common antagonism doesn’t necessarily make the AAP and Congress allies in Gujarat’s political landscape. And the BJP would not be complaining.

'Unlikely AAP, Congress would come together'

“The Congress and AAP coming together in Gujarat doesn’t harm BJP, as we have already seen from the 2022 state election. In fact, AAP has cut more into the Congress’s vote bank than made inroads into the BJP’s strongholds. However, it is unlikely that the united protests will bring the two parties together in the state. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal had made it very clear earlier this year,” Manishi Jani, a political analyst based in Ahmedabad, told The Federal.

“Besides, the AAP and Congress have very different strategies and function very differently. The AAP has many young leaders, and their way of political outreach has been very aggressive so far. While the Congress, which is still considered the primary Opposition in Gujarat, has not seen aggressive ground politics since the time of Madhavsinh Solanki,” she added.

So, has the AAP just jumped onto the anti-prohibition bandwagon and pillion-ride the Congress? The local body elections are not too far after all.