With Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko all set to begin his ‘padayatra’ on Wednesday from Tirunelveli, the demand for total prohibition in the State seems to have intensified.
The tour schedule released by MDMK said the campaign would begin in Uvari in Tirunelveli on Wednesday and traverse through 400 villages across the State before winding up in Madurai on Christmas day. This is in fact the third stage of the protests that the firebrand politician announced in September.
Meanwhile, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S Ramadoss on Tuesday issued a call for a wine shops “lock-down” protest on December 17 if the government did not lay out a plan to implement prohibition in a time-bound manner by December 15.
In a statement, he stated that prohibition was already in vogue in several states and it was not difficult to implement. Referring to the model in Maharashtra, he said the State closed down wine shops if majority of women in a particular city or village wanted ban on liquor. Their view was ascertained through voting.
Putting out his own model on curtailing liquor usage, he said the timing of the bars and the number of working days could first be restricted. Every month, 500 shops could be closed down permanently and total prohibition could be realised by Gandhi Jayanti next year.
Apart from Ramadoss and Vaiko, VCK leader Thirumalavan had also reiterated his call for ban on liquor sales last month and said the party would soon come out with plans for mass agitations on the issue.