The decision of the ruling Congress to reintroduce lotteries is more dangerous than drugs, leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said on Thursday, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Congress continued to trade barbs over the issue. The state government has decided to introduce lotteries, including a Diwali bumper draw, after a gap of 27 years to tide over fiscal challenges.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu defended the decision, saying, “Buying a lottery ticket will be voluntary. No one will be compelled to participate. A lottery is purely a game of chance.” He also assured that the government would consider the issues raised by the Opposition in its representations.
Former chief minister and leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur said, “Once addicted to the lottery, a person often fails to realise the extent of the financial damage he or she is incurring. In many instances, people go as far as selling their homes and jewellery in pursuit of the lottery. Like ‘chitta’ (heroin) and other narcotics, lottery can lead people towards ruin.” Thakur further stated that the awarding of lottery licences or operational rights could become a matter of investigation in the future.
State BJP president Rajeev Bindal said the state government was gambling with the future of 70 lakh people for a mere few crores in revenue. “Pushing the state towards the vice of lottery addiction and a gambling mindset amounts to injustice, exploitation and a betrayal of the public,” he added.
No ‘single-digit’ lottery: Harshwardhan
Industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan clarified that the state is not introducing a single-line or single-digit lottery that operates on a daily basis. He stated that comprehensive rules and norms have been formulated, and the government expects to generate initial annual revenue of approximately ₹10 crore through it. In the future, this revenue could rise to ₹100 crore, he said.
He termed the stance of Hamirpur MP and former Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur, who has written to the CM against the move, as politically motivated.
Banned in 1999
Lotteries were banned in the state by the Prem Kumar Dhumal-led government in 1999, and violations were made punishable under the Lotteries (Regulation) Act. In 2007, the Congress government led by Virbhadra Singh banned them again.