Actor-turned-politician and Praja Rajyam Party founder has created another stir in the political circles by his utterances. He has promised to introduce total prohibition in the state in a phased manner if his party comes to power in the forthcoming elections.

Addressing a meeting of women on the occasion of oath taking by the state committee of women's wing of his party, Chiranjeevi [Images] expressed concern over the proliferation of liquor shops, especially in the rural areas and its impact on the law and order and the rural economy and growing atrocities on women.

Responding to the demand from various women leaders in support of prohibition, Chiranjeevi assured women that he will strive to bring prohibition in phase manned to make it more effective. Describing women as the backbone of his party, Chiranjeevi said:

'On coming to power my party will pay special attention to the problems of women'.

He charged the other political parties with using women as only a vote bank and doing nothing to help them. He said that the Congress government's policy of providing loans to the self help group at 3% interest rate and Rs 500 per month pension to elderly women was all an attempt to lure women for their votes.

Chiranjeevi declared his pro-prohibition stand a day after the Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had evaded the issue. Manikyamma, an elderly women from Kadapa, the home district of Chief Minister had pleaded for prohibition in the state in view of the damage it was causing to the economy and health of the people, specially the youth.

YSR, though stressed his commitment to prohibition, added that the issue needs a social campaign to change the thinking of the people and it can not be bring about legislation. He pointed out that the total prohibition from 1994 to 1996 was not effective and successful in the state.

Though the women's wing of Telugu Desam Party led by film actress Roja [Images] also tried to raise the issue by agitating in front of retail liquor outlets in villages, the TDP President Chandrababu Naidu [Images] is also not looking in favour of making prohibition a big issue.

Congress is also unlikely to go in for prohibition as it is one of the biggest revenue source for the state government. The annual excise revenue has already cross Rs 5000 crore and the Congress government need the money to finance its many welfare and populist schemes like free electricity and Rs 2 per kg rice.