New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party veteran and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti on Tuesday sought to link the surge in crimes against women to consumption of alcohol and pushed for converting illegal liquor shops into cow shelters, reported PTI.
After her four-day-long stay at a temple in Bhopal, the BJP leader announced the launch of “Madhushala Me Gaushala” (cow shelters in place of liquor outlets) programme in support of her demand for a "controlled" liquor policy in the state.
On Saturday afternoon, the former Madhya Pradesh CM reached a temple near a liquor shop in Ayodhya Nagar trisection of the state capital and announced she would stay there till January 31, awaiting announcement of a new liquor policy by the government.
But she ended her four-day-long stay at the temple after the state government delayed its liquor policy announcement.
Addressing the media, the BJP leader claimed a liquor shop located near the famous Ram Raja Sarkar temple at Orchha in Niwari district, located around 350 kilometres from Bhopal, was illegal.
"Without waiting for the liquor policy, I will start converting liquor shops, which are being run in contravention of rules, into cow shelters," she said.
ALSO READ: WFI Sex Abuse Row: Wrestler Babita Phogat Joins Oversight Committee
Bharti said she has told people to arrange 11 cows to be put up outside the "illegal" liquor shop in Orchha.
“Will see who dares to stop me... will feed these cows and arrange water for them at the liquor shop,” said the former Union minister.
Quoting an unnamed report, Bharti said that the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh was leading in crimes against women and attributed liquor consumption as one of the reasons for the disturbing.