'Beer easily available than water in Gujarat'

Gujarat government may be often speaking about strictly implementing the prohibition law by curbing alcohol consumption but it’s leaders appear to be speaking a different language.

In an gaffe of sorts, deputy chief whip of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat Assembly, R C Patel, on Tuesday quoted constituents of his constituency saying beer was more freely available than water. “Let me again give you example of Borsi Machhivad village. If you ask for water, they will get you soft drinks. If you ask them why did they spend money on them, they will tell you Sir, one can easily get beer here but not water,” Patel told the audience gathered in Gandevi town of Navsari district to celebrate water conservation.

'Betting market huge'

Patel was primarily stressing the need for water conservation and how BJP government in the state had worked towards the goal of water management. “There used to be thousands of water tankers plying but we have successfully stopped that. However, situation is bad even today. It will not be an exaggeration to suggest that there could be a war for water,” Patel said.

If Patel was highlighting the plight of water shortage in Gujarat, Union Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises Haribhai Chaudhary raised the issue of another vice in the state. “Betting or illegal futures market is huge in our Bhabhar market. In fact, there was betting on my elections too,” Chaudhary, minister in Modi government, said.

Bhabhar is said to be the biggest castor trading market in the country.