In what can only be described as a faux pas, the Madhya Pradesh Minister for Higher Education, Sports and Youth Affairs, Jitu Patwari has reportedly bragged about the distribution of alcohol in weddings in the state. He said that the Kamal Nath government in the state has ensured arrangement of alcohol in weddings. He gave this highly controversial remark during a government programme in Ratlam. During the programme, he was praising the decision to increase the amount under the chief minister kanyadaan scheme to Rs. 51,000.
However, the minister clearly went overboard while speaking about the scheme. He said that the poor have to arrange all kinds of facilities during the wedding of a daughter. He went on to add that the poor have to arrange for catering facilities and deshi-videshi (alcohol). The minister went on to claim that Chief Minister Kamal Nath has ensured the arrangement of this facility as well.
This is as absurd as it can get. It is per se immoral for a minister to brag about the supply of alcohol in weddings in order to gain publicity. In a welfare state, the state is supposed to look after the welfare of its citizens. Distributing alcohol in weddings can never be the priority of the government. It remains to be seen how the Congress government the state reacts to this. If this is the official line of the government, then it is certainly not going in the right direction. It is shocking that the Minister for Higher Education, Sports and Youth Affairs made such a statement. Someone who is supposed to work for the welfare of the youth made such an irresponsible remark. It is bizarre how a minister with such a crucial portfolio can openly promote the consumption of state-sponsored alcohol in weddings.
However, this is not for the first time that Jitu Patwari has made a controversial statement. Last year, he had said, “Mera khayal rakhna, meri izzat rakhna, party gayi tel lene(Dump the party and vote for me).” This statement by the Congress leader was not at all in conformity with the benchmarks of a parliamentary democracy in which the association of a political leader with the party plays a crucial role.
It is clear that such statements by its ministers will not do the Kamal Nath government any good. It has sent across a very negative image of the Kamal Nath government. The Chief Minister must come out with an explanation about the same.