Hazare, 84, said in a statement that he would begin an indefinite hunger strike on February 14 from Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahmednagar district.
Social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday said that he will start an indefinite hunger strike from February 14 to protest against the Maharashtra government’s policy to allow sale of liquor in supermarkets and kirana shops.
Hazare has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on this issue. In his letter to Thackeray, Hazare said the people of the state have demanded that the policy allowing the sale of liquor in supermarkets and neighborhood shops be withdrawn immediately.
Hazare, 84, said in a statement that he would begin an indefinite hunger strike on February 14 from Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahmednagar district. Hazare said that he had written two letters addressed to the chief minister, urging him to withdraw the decision, but did not get any response.
In his earlier letters, Hazare had said that the decision to allow the sale of liquor in supermarkets and grocery stores was unfortunate for the state and would prove to be dangerous for the generations to come.
Last week the state government announced that it had decided to promote fruit-based wineries, which provide additional income to farmers.
The Maharashtra government has approved a proposal to sell liquor at a flat annual license fee of Rs 5,000 in supermarkets and walk-in stores across the state. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the “shelf-in-shop” method will be adopted in supermarkets and walk-in-stores having an area of 100 square meters or more and which are registered under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act.
