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Cong slams MP govt for engaging ‘teachers’ in liquor sale, order cancelled
BJP said Congress was misleading the people of the state by falsely claiming that teachers were deployed to sell liquor by the administration.
An order, asking a few employees of a Madhya Pradesh polytechnic college to temporarily run some state-controlled liquor vends owing to a manpower shortage, was withdrawn after Congress accused the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government of engaging ‘teachers’ in the sale of liquor.
Congress’ attack followed an order by the administration of Sagar district asking a government polytechnic college to temporarily deploy staff for managing country made/ Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) shops in the district.
It was promptly followed by the institute principal Dr YP Singh, who issued an order cancelling summer vacation of five employees and assigning them to the task.
The principal’s order dated June 10, 2020 said, “The employees are hereby assigned the duty to run country made/IMFL shops from June 11 as per the district collector’s order dated June 9, 2020.”
The reassigned employees included a technical assistant, a lab technician, a mechanic and two skilled assistants.
State Congress leader and former union minister Arun Yadav said the BJP government had indulged in a shameless act.
“Earlier, women police personnel were engaged in the sale of liquor. Now, teachers will do the same. Those who are responsible for shaping the future of students have been assigned with the job of selling liquor. There is no shame left in the state government,” he said.
However, the order was later cancelled by the district administration.
Earlier, Congress had attacked the government over a photo that went viral on social media on Wednesday, showing a woman cop sitting in a liquor shop.
The incident follows the state government’s decision to run about 70% liquor shops across the state on its own from Tuesday after contractors surrendered their licences as per an option given by the high court during an ongoing legal battle between the two sides. The contractors are demanding reduction in licence fee in view of the losses incurred due to the closure of shops.
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However, an understaffed excise department has sought assistance from other departments to run these shops.
Collector of Sagar district Deepak Singh said the order was only meant to tide over a temporary problem.
“The order was just for a day when there was some initial problem. But none of the employees engaged in the duty are in teaching staff and perhaps none of them visited the liquor shops as well. The said order, too, has been cancelled now.”
State BJP spokesperson Rahul Kothari said, “Congress is trying to create confusion among people by misleading them. No teacher was engaged in the sale of liquor and police personnel are supposed to ensure security in the area. None are engaged in the sale of liquor. Congress should apologise to people for telling lies.”
