‘Tough prohibition law has merely hiked booze prices’

AHMEDABAD: In an embarrassment for the state government, an audio clip in which a Lok Rakshak Dal jawan who identifies himself as Gopal Patel calls up deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and says that the strict prohibition law implemented by state government had failed to check liquor supply.
On the contrary, it had only increased the prices of alcoholic drinks, says the jawan. An embarrassed Nitin Patel had asked the jawan to do his duty well.
The LRD jawan is heard in the audio clip telling the DyCM that the new liquor prohibition law is not successful because of the nexus between h is superiors and some people in the government.
“The government has brought a new prohibition law with the good intention to check illicit liquor supply. But the fact is that the law has just increased the price of liquor. I wanted to bring this reality to your attention,” the caller tells the DyCM.
The DyCM answers in the audio clip, “You do your duty well and if you do your duty well then everything will be fine.”
Then the jawan asked the DyCM, “I, as a constable do my duty pretty well, but the nexus between officials and some people in the government is responsible for this. You being in government must be aware of it.”
Senior police officers confirmed that an LRD Jawan named Gopal Patel used to work with Madhavpura police station but had resigned to work with some other government office as a clerk.
Earlier, on January 15, another audio clip had gone viral. In this clip, a gram sevak, Jagdish Rojasara, had called up DyCM and asked him when he will consider the demand of fixed-pay employees. This had irritated the DyCM to the extent that he lost his temper.
Talking to ToI, Rojasara said: “I get Rs 11,500 per month and I have to travel to 24 villages on the periphery of Rajkot district for over 100 km. Half of my salary is spent on petrol leaving me struggling to make ends meet.”
Rojasara further said that before making the phone call, he had tried to get an appointment with Nitin Patel but in vain. “Finally, I dialled his number to ask when he will perform his constitutional duty,” Rojasara said.
It is rumoured that these desperate calls are being orchestrated either by the rivals of the DyCM from within the government or by the agitating fixed-pay employees.