BJP promises to bring prohibition if it comes to power

Mangalore, May 4 (UNI) BJP state unit President and Mangalore MP D V Sadananda Gowda today said that the BJP which had banned sale of arrack in the state during the coalition government with JD(S) was committed to implement the total ban on sale liquor.

Addressing the press conference here Mr. Gowda who expressed the confidence of the party coming to power after the election, said that immediate total ban of liquor was not possible and it would make all its efforts to introduce ban on sale of liquor stage by stage.

Lamenting the statement by Central Administrative Reform Commission Chairman and former Chief Minister that the Congress party would lift the ban on sale of arrack in the state if it would come to power, Mr Gowda chided that the Congress had the habit of pushing the people to drink arrack.

He charged that the Congress leaders were making all such false statements in total desperation of facing the defeat in the election.

Replying to a query, he said that the party would get 100 per victory in Daxina Kannada and would reveal the number of seats the party would get in the state in two days time.

However, the party would get majority seat to form the government, he said.

Replying to another query he said that he would not make any comment on the statement made by the senior BJP leader K Rama Bhat from Puttur who had challenged the party to take disciplinary action against him (Mr Bhat) for supporting the rebel candidate and former BJP MLA Shakunthala Shetty in Puttur.

"We are taking actions against those indulged in anti-party activity stage by stage. We have already expelled three persons from the party including Ms Shetty. We will also initiate action against Mr Bhat, he added.

He said that the party's prospectus of winning the seat in Puttur would be affected by the presence of rebel candidate Ms Shetty. The party would win the seat with a margin of about 2000 votes. No independent had won the seat so for in Puttur, he added.

UNI MA SIV SKB1941