D K Shivakumar differs with Siddaramaiah on 'no new liquor shops' in Karnataka remark

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said his government will not open new liquor outlets, but his deputy DK Shivakumar sang a different tune as he batted for a policy change, saying nobody can stop people from drinking.

Reacting to Excise Minister RB Timmapur’s statement that the government is considering opening new liquor outlets, Siddaramaiah said there is no such plan.

“We're not opening (new liquor outlets). Who said that? The excise minister said there's a thought. But we won't open,” Siddaramaiah said in Chitradurga.

Siddaramaiah followed it up with a message on X that new liquor stores will not be opened in the state.

However, DK Shivakumar has a different view.

“Neither you, nor I will be able to stop people from drinking,” he said.

“For 30 years, the government hasn't allowed new liquor shops. So, what's happening is that the existing licences are being sold for Rs 4-5 crore,” he said.

Shivakumar also said that the government must create new jobs.

“We'll decide where the new (liquor) shops should be opened. We won't open them in every village. In the coming days, the CM will decide after discussing with everybody,” he said.

Karnataka has not issued new CL-2 (retail) and CL-9 (bar & restaurants) licences since 1992, making them a prized possession.

Even the finance department is pushing for a policy change.

“The CL-2 licences have not increased since 1992. There's been tremendous growth of population since then. This has created an artificial scarcity of licences and the incumbents have huge premiums,” a source explained.

While the government is not in favour of opening new liquor outlets at the panchayat level, authorities are thinking of allowing the sale of alcohol at large supermarkets.

“Like in western countries, there can be a corner that can sell beer, wine and even whisky,” the source said.

“The idea is to increase access to those who seek to buy liquor. While there’s a hypocritical sanctimony attached to liquor, people who drink would like to buy it from a place accessible for them,” the source added.

A policy change will also help government increase revenues to meet fiscal commitments involving the Congress' guarantee schemes.

Meanwhile, taunting Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for their differences, former BJP minister R Ashoka said: "This is a government that wants people to drink. They make husbands drink while giving their wives a dole."