Chandigarh : Two days after stating that he did not consider liquor an “intoxicant”, Punjab Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani in a U-turn on Wednesday said that alcohol was the “root cause of all ills” and favoured a countrywide prohibition and the closure of all distilleries.
After facing flak from various quarters over his bizarre remark that “I don’t think ‘sharab’ (liquor) is an intoxicant,” the senior BJP leader sought to clarify the context in which he had made the statement.
Asked if he favours prohibition, the minister told a press conference: “There should be a ban. There should be a countrywide ban on alcohol. Today, I am saying in the media that ban alcohol and all distilleries should also be shut down.”
When asked to comment on the controversy, the “teetotaller” minister said: “There has been a debate in the media quoting me as saying that alcohol is a good thing to have and that I don’t consider alcohol as an intoxicant.
“I have never said anything like that and have been quoted out of context as my statement was twisted.
“Let me clarify a few things, there is no bigger vice than alcohol. Alcohol is the root cause for all ills, for various problems, diseases, various crimes and it should not be consumed.
“When mediapersons had asked me a question about drug problem, “I had said that I do not include people consuming alcohol in the addict category,” he added. – PTI