Rajasthan’s Cong MLA says drinking alcohol can kill coronavirus in consumers’ throat

Advocating opening of wine shops in the state, Bharat Singh has written a letter to chief minister, Ashok Gehlot.

Courting controversy over Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s demand for opening wine shops in Rajasthan amid lockdown, Congress MLA from Sangod, Kota, and former minister Bharat Singh has asserted that when rubbing alcohol can remove coronavirus from the hands then its consumption can also wipe out coronavirus from the throat of wine consumers. He also claimed that it would be better than consuming illicit liquor.

Bharat Singh said that closure of wine shops is leading to increase in manufacturing of illicit liquor and also leading to huge losses of revenue for the state government. (PTI PHOTO.)

Advocating opening of wine shops in the state, Bharat Singh has written a letter to chief minister, Ashok Gehlot. Singh in his letter has written since wine is a defamed product so neither the union government nor the state government will allow its sale during lockdown despite the fact that wine shops closure is breaking the backbone of the state’s revenue.

Bharat Singh said that closure of wine shops is leading to increase in manufacturing of illicit liquor which is not only killing people consuming illicit liquor but also leading to huge losses of revenue for the state government.

Referring to some media reports published in vernacular media, Bharat Singh wrote in the letter that 2 people in Halena region of Bharatpur have died after consuming illicit liquor on Thursday.

He said that the Rajasthan government has also increased excise duty on wine.

“Since Rajasthan government has kept target of recovery of Rs 12,500 crore of excise revenue from wine sale in the state in the year 2020-21 which does not appears to be accomplished due to lockdown so it seems the state government has increased excise duty to compensate such loss,” he said.

Singh said that it would be better if the state government opens wine shops so that wine consumers will get wine and state government will also get its revenue.

In the letter, Singh stated that “When Covid-19 can be killed by rubbing alcohol on the hands then alcohol will also kill the virus in the throat of wine consumers when they will drink it and anyway it is better than consuming illicit liquor.”