SRINAGAR: A fresh political debate over liquor policy is brewing in Jammu and Kashmir after the newly sworn-in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay ordered the closure of 717 liquor outlets across the southern state, a move opposition parties in Jammu Kashmir say weakens Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s defence of allowing wine shops to continue operating in the Union Territory.
The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced that 717 retail liquor outlets run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) would be shut within two weeks. According to an official statement, the decision was taken keeping “public welfare” in mind.
Of the outlets identified for closure, 276 are located near places of worship, 186 near educational institutions, and 255 near bus stands. Tamil Nadu currently has 4,765 retail liquor outlets operating across the state.
The development has immediately entered the political discourse in Jammu and Kashmir, where Omar Abdullah has been facing sustained criticism over his recent remarks defending the continuation of liquor sales in the Muslim-majority Union Territory.
The controversy erupted after Abdullah, while responding to questions in Ganderbal, said people consumed alcohol out of personal choice and that the government was not forcing anyone to visit liquor shops.
“Has anyone forced you to drink? You are going to liquor shops by your own choice. We are not dragging you there,” the Chief Minister had said, adding that the government had neither advertised liquor nor increased the number of outlets.
As criticism intensified, Abdullah later clarified that his remarks had been “twisted” by political opponents and admitted that answering the question briefly on the roadside had been a “mistake”.
He subsequently asserted that liquor shops were meant only for those “whose religion allows the consumption of alcohol”, while stressing that “our religion does not permit it”.
The remarks triggered a sharp backlash from opposition parties, religious groups and even leaders within his own party, the Jammu Kashmir National Conference.
Iltija Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party accused Abdullah of taking a “U-turn” and argued that religion-based reasoning did not hold ground when states like Gujarat and Bihar, both Hindu-majority states, had successfully enforced prohibition.
“With Tamil Nadu now moving to shut hundreds of liquor outlets, the pressure on Omar Abdullah is only expected to grow further,” a senior opposition leader said, noting that the debate was no longer confined to “religious sensitivities” in Kashmir alone.
Political observers say the Tamil Nadu decision could hand fresh ammunition to Abdullah’s critics, who have repeatedly questioned why Jammu and Kashmir cannot consider restrictions on alcohol despite ongoing campaigns against drug abuse.
The issue has gained added political significance because the Jammu and Kashmir administration is simultaneously running the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir anti-drug campaign under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Opposition parties and several civil society groups argue that defending liquor sales while campaigning against narcotics sends contradictory signals.
Critics have also revived Omar Abdullah’s earlier statements in which he had blamed previous administrations for allegedly flooding residential areas with liquor shops and drugs.
Religious and political groups, including Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq, have questioned the government’s repeated argument that liquor availability is necessary because Jammu and Kashmir is a tourism-driven region.
They point to Gujarat, a dry state that attracts significantly higher tourist numbers than JK, as evidence that prohibition and tourism can coexist.
The row has also exposed divisions within the ruling National Conference itself. Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi publicly described Abdullah’s remarks as “illogical” and reiterated his demand for a complete ban on liquor in the Union Territory.
While the Omar Abdullah government has maintained that it has not opened any new liquor shops since assuming office in October 2024, opposition parties argue that the administration now faces increasing moral and political pressure as more states move toward tighter liquor regulation.
With Tamil Nadu becoming the latest state to initiate a major liquor clampdown, the debate over prohibition in Jammu and Kashmir appears set to intensify further in the coming days.
