The Madhya Pradesh government is reportedly mulling over prohibiting liquor sales in religious cities and towns, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said on Monday.
“Our administration is reviewing policy changes concerning religious cities and towns to implement a complete liquor ban. Several seers have already advocated for this restriction, prompting the government to seriously consider making amendments to the excise policy to enforce the ban within these areas. A final decision will be made soon,” the CM stated in Bhopal.
According to the CM’s statement, if the proposed policy amendments are made, a liquor ban would be enforced in 17 designated holy cities and towns, identified as religious hubs by successive state governments between 2004 and 2013.
The announcement follows the chief minister’s decision to rename villages with Muslim names. Dr Yadav on Sunday laid out plans to rename 11 villages in the Shajapur district of western MP, favouring names associated with Hindu deities.
The renaming of these 11 villages follows a similar decision for three villages in Ujjain, the CM’s home district. Both Ujjain and Shajapur, located in western MP’s Malwa region, are known strongholds of the RSS and BJP.
