By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 26 Sep 2015: Even though it is a fact that even teenagers are often found drinking here and there in Delhi, it could be a blunder if their act is given legal sanction. The old debate on lowering the minimum age for drinking is again raging in the National Capital thanks to a Delhi minister of ‘young’ party called Aam Aadmi Party.
Tourism minister Kapil Mishra on Wednesday came out in support of reducing the minimum age for drinking from 25 years to 21. “I am against any law that is not in tune with reality. We have received complaints that restaurant owners are harassed by police due to this impractical rule of 25 years. Besides, consumers also feel under threat and still people younger than 25 continue to drink,” AAP minister said this while addressing a meet of restaurant owners in the capital.
Following an uproar over Mishra’s comment, his senior and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia came out clarifying the position of Delhi government but he too ended up supporting Mishra in a way.
“If there is a demand from Delhi’s people including youths, restaurant owners and tourism industry, government can contemplate on it…this is no issue where we can say that 25 years should be the age strictly (for drinking),” said Sisodia.
Do they want to make it an alcoholic Delhi, asks BJP
The drink call has not gone down well with BJP.
“I don’t know what kind of Delhi they want to make. Do they want to make it an alcoholic Delhi? If we reduce the drinking age, it will create a bad impact on society,” Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said.
Hitting out at Kapil Mishra, BJP leader said: “It is really pathetic to note that Mishra has proposed this when Delhi is fighting against dengue and price hike.”
Former Anna Hazare team member and AAP leader Shazia Ilmi, who is now with BJP, also made a dig at AAP.
“I’m astounded that this party (AAP) has arisen from Anna Hazare’s movement when Anna ji is completely against alcoholism,” she said.
Alcohol and Rape
While AAP leaders have tried to counter BJP by pointing to the saffron party-ruled states where drinking age has been lowered, the moot point is: Lowering of drinking age will be disastrous for Delhi – which has just become “rape capital” of India. In the year 2014, Delhi was higher in rapes in both absolute and proportionate terms, show data from the National Crime Records Bureau. The city reported 1,813 rapes in 2014, up from 1,441 in 2013.
Most of sexual assaults have been linked with alcohol consumption in almost all social and criminal probes of sexual crimes in the country and elsewhere.
Not just sexual crimes, the legal lower age drinking will increae the number of road accidents also.
