25,000 Cr. - Illegal Liquor Business in Gujarat
Hindustan Times, New Delhi edition published an article on 13th February 2017. Text of the article is as follows:
Raees, the Shahrukh Khan starrer, in a way is a blow on the governance, and questions the ability of the Gujarat government to put an end to the state’s illegal liquor trade.
In the movie, the prologue pegged the illegal liquor business in the state at Rs 25,000 crore, and went on to mention that had it not been for Raees (the protagonist played by Khan), the business wouldn’t have been so big.
Raees, allegedly is based on the life of Gujarat’s most dreaded mafia don, Abdul Latif, a bootlegger who ran the illegal liquor business like an organised crime syndicate. The movie throws up larger societal issues.
The Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949, has been in force in Gujarat from 1960, and continues. The state is also the only one, which has a death penalty if someone dies from consuming homemade liquor. The Act was amended in 2009, and called the Bombay Prohibition Bill, after many died after consuming methyl alcohol.
Smuggling and manufacturing liquor is a common in Gujarat. That is an irony, considering that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is quite vocal about ending the country’s corruption, could not stop the illegal liquor trade. He was Gujarat’s chief minister from 2001 to 2014.
The size and scale of the illegal liquor business is evident as draws Bollywood’s attention.
To put Gujarat’s illegal liquor trade in perspective, Rs 25,000 crore is the total deposit if all accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna is added up.
Social activist Medha Patkar told a national daily in early January and that the Rs 56,000 crore liquor business in India has not allowed state governments to efficiently implement the ban. Talking about Gujarat, she said that “lack of political will has not enabled society to get the law implemented.”
Patkar added that Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have weak anti-liquor laws.
Raees, too, shows the bootlegger-gangster’s deep connections with the political party in power and the administration. In one instance, in the movie, Khan asks the chief minister of the state to remove Nawazuddin Siddiqui, an honest cop.
While there are many movies, which shows connections between gangsters, politicians and policemen, Raees has a different impact. It talks about a large organised crime syndicate, running for years.
The police, over years, have not been able to crack down on illegal liquor trade in Gujarat. Meanwhile, as the Prime Minister, Modi went ahead with demonetisation, an economic situation that weeded out 86% of the country’s currency notes bringing about the largest cash crunch in world history, and called it an act against corruption.
Coming back to Gujarat, liquor is delivered on-demand by “folders”, petty bootleggers who pick up the bottle from a larger bootlegger (who works like a larger distributor) and delivers it at home or a mutually convenient location.
Khan allegedly plays the role of the Abdul Latif, the feared gangster who was so powerful that promising his downfall helped BJP gain prominence and power in Gujarat. Latif, as a daily suggested, was the most hated name in Hindu households in the early 1990s.
Haren Pandya, a BJP politician, in 1993 told voters, “when you go out to vote, don’t forget Latif,” and he won the elections. BJP formed the government in 1995 in Gujarat.
Latif was arrested that year, Keshubhai Patel, then the chief minister of Gujarat, was called the “Hindu Hriday Samrat”. Two years later Latif was shot dead in an encounter. That’s also where Raees, the movie, ends.
Two decades later, Latif is folklore, but his death didn’t bring an end to Gujarat’s illicit liquor trade. It has only grown, and Latif’s legacy continues, now eternalised in a film.
The movie has already grossed over Rs 100 crore in less than two weeks on the box office. Few raised questions about the prologue, which quantifies the illegal liquor business of the state, through a syndicate that involves politicians, criminals and the administration. more
Raees, the Shahrukh Khan starrer, in a way is a blow on the governance, and questions the ability of the Gujarat government to put an end to the state’s illegal liquor trade.
In the movie, the prologue pegged the illegal liquor business in the state at Rs 25,000 crore, and went on to mention that had it not been for Raees (the protagonist played by Khan), the business wouldn’t have been so big.
Raees, allegedly is based on the life of Gujarat’s most dreaded mafia don, Abdul Latif, a bootlegger who ran the illegal liquor business like an organised crime syndicate. The movie throws up larger societal issues.
The Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949, has been in force in Gujarat from 1960, and continues. The state is also the only one, which has a death penalty if someone dies from consuming homemade liquor. The Act was amended in 2009, and called the Bombay Prohibition Bill, after many died after consuming methyl alcohol.
Smuggling and manufacturing liquor is a common in Gujarat. That is an irony, considering that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is quite vocal about ending the country’s corruption, could not stop the illegal liquor trade. He was Gujarat’s chief minister from 2001 to 2014.
The size and scale of the illegal liquor business is evident as draws Bollywood’s attention.
To put Gujarat’s illegal liquor trade in perspective, Rs 25,000 crore is the total deposit if all accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna is added up.
Social activist Medha Patkar told a national daily in early January and that the Rs 56,000 crore liquor business in India has not allowed state governments to efficiently implement the ban. Talking about Gujarat, she said that “lack of political will has not enabled society to get the law implemented.”
Patkar added that Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have weak anti-liquor laws.
Raees, too, shows the bootlegger-gangster’s deep connections with the political party in power and the administration. In one instance, in the movie, Khan asks the chief minister of the state to remove Nawazuddin Siddiqui, an honest cop.
While there are many movies, which shows connections between gangsters, politicians and policemen, Raees has a different impact. It talks about a large organised crime syndicate, running for years.
The police, over years, have not been able to crack down on illegal liquor trade in Gujarat. Meanwhile, as the Prime Minister, Modi went ahead with demonetisation, an economic situation that weeded out 86% of the country’s currency notes bringing about the largest cash crunch in world history, and called it an act against corruption.
Coming back to Gujarat, liquor is delivered on-demand by “folders”, petty bootleggers who pick up the bottle from a larger bootlegger (who works like a larger distributor) and delivers it at home or a mutually convenient location.
Khan allegedly plays the role of the Abdul Latif, the feared gangster who was so powerful that promising his downfall helped BJP gain prominence and power in Gujarat. Latif, as a daily suggested, was the most hated name in Hindu households in the early 1990s.
Haren Pandya, a BJP politician, in 1993 told voters, “when you go out to vote, don’t forget Latif,” and he won the elections. BJP formed the government in 1995 in Gujarat.
Latif was arrested that year, Keshubhai Patel, then the chief minister of Gujarat, was called the “Hindu Hriday Samrat”. Two years later Latif was shot dead in an encounter. That’s also where Raees, the movie, ends.
Two decades later, Latif is folklore, but his death didn’t bring an end to Gujarat’s illicit liquor trade. It has only grown, and Latif’s legacy continues, now eternalised in a film.
The movie has already grossed over Rs 100 crore in less than two weeks on the box office. Few raised questions about the prologue, which quantifies the illegal liquor business of the state, through a syndicate that involves politicians, criminals and the administration. more
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CMD was highly corrupt and still he is highly on corruption rampade along with other officers. more
Sep 24
I have written about corruption in WAPCOS LTD.maximum corruption prevails in this office. more
Sep 24
Drunkards - wherever they are, would never stop drinking. There are manufacturing units holding licence to manufacture liquor. Whatever these units manufacture goes to the markets here, there or abroad. If there is a ban here, it will go there where it is not. People habituated to drinking know where it is available. The states banning liquor stand to lose the revenue and foreign tourists to States where there is no ban. No âbar on barsâ can bring down liquor consumption unless those addicted to it vow not to drink. Until that happens, the evil will exist. When there are restrictions on bars, people will find other places to drink. If bars are allowed to operate, then people are unlikely to drink at home in the presence of children and other family members. They will do it at the bars. Why canât we stop the manufacturing units from making alcoholic drinks. In fact, it is issued to those in the armed forces everywhere for whom it is considered essential while working in difficult conditions. On 13 July 2017 at 11:58, Atul Jauhari wrote: > more
Jul 16
sir , corruption not only army,in tamilandu,namakkal district, tiruchengode taluk, andipalayam village survey no, 139 /2a pattano199 that district revenue officer palanisame take 500000inr lanjam and corruption that patta all nemes are wrong ,but in high official not respond this matter,that tamilandu governemnt leade and develop corruption and lanjam how india goes vallarasu..... please forward this message to all circles member in to prime minister modi and amith shah ji. more
Jul 15
Generally movies are based on imaginary stories and some are typically true story based. What is the correct thing about the movie - "Raees" may be a matter of investigation. If the estimates of Rs. 25000 Crore liquor trade in Gujrat happens to be the correct then claiming it to be the dry State becomes a situation of declaring the State as Number one dry State but from the bottom of the list (lowest rank). If it is correct in true sense then it makes one eligible to conclude and understand the meaning of dry State declared on the basis of propaganda only. more
Jul 14
