People's Democracy

INFURIATED by the new excise policy which will encourage alcoholism and destroy women’s lives, the activists of the Janwadi Mahila Samithy (JMS) staged a militant demonstration at the office of the Delhi chief minister, Shiela Dixit on June 18. The police was totally unprepared for this unexpected show of women's wrath who forced their way into the office of the chief minister. The protestors said that while the Delhi government has failed to provide daily necessities like cheap food grains, water, electricity it was more keen to give license to beer bars and other vends to sell liquour. As per the new policy beer can now be sold in departmental stores. This will not only adversely affect the family budgets of the common people but the already growing number of crimes against women and young girls. Delhi tops the list of such crimes in the entire country.

The demonstration in front of the chief minister's office was addressed among others by the JMS general secretary Ashalata. Later, a delegation gave a memorandum to the chief minister requesting her to roll back the policy.