By IANS,
Gandhinagar : Gujarat Health Minister Jay Narayan Vyas Saturday rebuked liquor baron Vijay Mallya who had suggested the state review its prohibition policy after illicit liquor claimed at least 136 lives in Ahmedabad this week.
“This is an internal matter of the Gujarat government and Mr. Mallya should avoid making suggestions on what should be done in Gujarat,” Vyas told reporters here.
The moonshine tragedy came to light in the eastern part of Ahmedabad, 35 km from here, Tuesday and 136 people, most of them labourers, have died of consuming illegally brewed alcohol.
The state has implemented the prohibition policy since its birth in 1960. Mallya, who runs United Breweries that owns several leading liquor brands, blamed the tragedy on prohibition.
Replying to his statement, Vyas pointed out that similar tragedies had taken places in recent months in “Kerala, Karnataka, Delhi and Maharashtra, which do not practise prohibition”.
The state government, meanwhile, ordered suspension and demotion of more police personnel – transferring 10 constables from the affected area and demoting two police inspectors to the ranks of assistant police inspector.