Maharashtra minister suggests women''s names for booze; draws flak

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, November 6

Maharashtra's Minister for Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan has come in for attack from all major political parties for suggesting that alcholic products be named after women in order to boost their sales.

Mahajan, who inaugurated a sugar mill cum distillery in the state's Nandurbar district last weekend, suggested that its product should have been named Maharani instead of Maharaja.

If you want alcohol or any other thing's demand to rise,name it after a woman & see how the demand soars says Maharashtra Min Girish Mahajan pic.twitter.com/fEqy64vDzu

— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2017

The minister went on to say that several distilleries in other parts of Maharashtra are successfully selling liquor with brand names like Julie, Bobby and Bhingari.

After Mahajan's remarks were reported in the local media, women's rights activists have filed police complaints against him. Activist activist Paromita Goswami of NGO Shramik Elgar filed a complaint
against Mahajan at a police station in Chandrapur district of Vidarbha for insulting the modesty of women.

The Shiv Sena hit out at Mahajan for his remarks even as women in many parts of the state were demanding closure of liquor shops in villages.

“The BJP's allies like Nitish Kumar have banned the sale of liquor in their states. But in Maharashtra the BJP's own minister is coming up with suggestions on how to increase sales of liquor,” Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna said in an editorial today.

The Nationalist Congress Party went even furhter and wondered if Mahajan was a habitual drinker. “Looks like the minister is a habitual drinker who likes four bottles of Maharaja at night,” NCP leader Nawab Malik said.

With the BJP leadership also leaning on him, the minister apologized for his remarks. “This remark was made in a lighter vein when someone told me that liquor sales were poor. Now I realise it was a mistake and I am apologising for it,” Mahajan told reporters here today.