Anna Hazare to go on strike from Feb 14 to protest Maha govt’s wine policy

Social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday said he will go on infinite strike from February 14 against the Maharashtra government's decision to allow the sale of wine in supermarkets and walk-in shops.

Earlier the activist had written to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray warning the state govt to go on infinite strike against the decision from his village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahmednagar district on February 14.

Hazare had also issued a statement condemning the MVA decision as "unfortunate" and how it is "detrimental to public interest".

He claimed that as per the Constitution, it is the duty of the government to discourage addiction of any types, including drugs and alcohol, and to create awareness about these, but it was sad to see how alcohol and addiction are being junked for getting financial gains.

In a significant step, the MVA government on January 27 decided to allow all supermarkets and walk-in stores with a minimum area of 1000 sq. feet sale wine through a shelf-in-shop, with certain restrictions and levies, ostensibly in the interest of the farmers, in the country's premier wine-producing state.