CANDID: In a rare confession a member of the ruling cabinet has admitted that his son Akash Kishore died of alcoholism. Telangana is the only state which has banned liquor, besides of course Gujarat where there has been a ban since Independence.
By Sounak Mukhopadhyay
Union Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore advised citizens against drinking alcohol based on his own experience of his son dying due to alcoholism.
Kaushal Kishore remembered how drinking killed his son and heh could not save his child. As per the Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, people should not get their daughters and sisters married to an alcoholic.
Alcohol consumption with pals was a habit that his son Akash Kishore had developed, the minister said. He was taken into a rehabilitation facility and got married after six months, assuming he would give up the terrible habit. But, after being married, he picked up drinking again, which ultimately caused him to pass away. His son was only two years old when Akash died in 2020. The Mohanlalganj MP was addressing a programme on de-addiction in Lambhua assembly constituency here on December 24.
As per Kaushal Kishore, a labourer or rickshaw driver will make a better groom than an inebriated officer. “The lifespan of an alcoholic is very less,” the Uttar Pradesh MP said. “When I as an MP and my wife as an MLA could not save the life of our son, then how will the common public do so.”
“I could not save my son, due to which his wife became a widow. You must save your daughters and sisters from this,” he added.
In the 90 years of the freedom movement, 6.32 lakh people gave their lives in the fight against the British, but each year, 20 lakh people pass away as a result of addiction, he said. “Around 80% of the cancer deaths are due to addiction to tobacco, cigarettes and bidi,” he added.
The minister added that in order to make the district addiction-free, the de-addiction campaign should be taken to all schools, and during the morning prayers itself, advice regarding this should be given to the children.
The most popular alcoholic drinks are beer, wine, whisky, rum, vodka, gin, and brandy as well as regionally made drinks such as arrack and toddy. When someone engages in a routine of drinking that is problematic and increases his chance of experiencing negative health effects, alcohol use becomes a problem.
Courtesy: Livemint