Sultanpur: A Union minister has urged parents and guardians not to get their daughters and sisters married to alcoholics.
Kaushal Kishore, Union minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, made the emotional appeal citing the example of his son, reported PTI.
“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,” Kishore said while addressing a programme on de-addiction in UP’s Lambhua assembly constituency.
Going into detail, Kishore narrated that his son (Akash Kishore) had got into the habit of consuming alcohol with his friends.
“He was admitted to a de-addiction centre. Assuming that he will quit the bad habit, he was married after six months. However, he started drinking again after his marriage, and that eventually led to his death. Two years ago, on October 19, when Akash passed away, his son was barely two years old,” the Union minister recalled.
Kishore lamented that because he couldn’t save his son, his wife became a widow.
“The lifespan of an alcoholic is very less… A rickshaw puller or a labourer will prove to be a better bridegroom than an alcoholic officer. You must save your daughters and sisters from this,” Kishore stated.
He pointed out that 6.32 lakh people had sacrificed their lives fighting the British in a span of 90 years, but due to alcohol addiction, around 20 lakh people die every year.
Kishore, an MP from UP’s Mohanlalganj constituency, informed that about 80% of cancer deaths are due to addiction to tobacco, cigarettes, and bidi.
He suggested that the de-addiction campaign should be taken to schools, and advice regarding this should be given to children during the morning prayers.
