Bengaluru, Jan 30 (PTI) Hundreds of women walked over 400 kms to reach the state capital Wednesday demanding a blanket ban on the sale and consumption of liquor in Karnataka.

Beginning their march from Raichur on January 19, the women under the banner of Madya Nishedha Andolana converged to the city via Peenya and gathered at the Malleswaram ground here.

The police, however, prevented them from going to the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power.

Later, a delegation of the protesters led by theatre artist Prasanna called on Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and urged him impose prohibition.

In response, Kumaraswamy sought time to discuss the issue, a government release said.

He told the delegates that during his previous stint as chief minister in 2007-09, he had banned arrack and lottery in the state, the release added.

Kumaraswamy said he need to take his allies in the government into confidence and discuss the issue with them to arrive at a decision.

Earlier, addressing the protesters, Papamma, a women activist from Kolar said: We chose this day, the January 30, to remind the government that Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed his life for this nation. His wish was to see a liquor-free society. Its sad that the government considers liquor as a source of income and not as a social evil,

Taking a jibe at the people at the helm, Papamma said that it was surprising that the educated policymakers have no clue to the ill effects of liquor which even an illiterate person is well aware of.

Former MLA B R Patil said he wholeheartedly supported the prohibition demand.

He pointed out that he had raised this issue with the then chief minister Siddaramaiah but that no action was taken to this effect.

Speaking on the occasion, theatre artist Arundhati Nag highlighted that the Bihar government had to bow to the peoples demand for imposing ban on sale of liquor.

The Karnataka government cannot ignore this demand, she said. In a tragic incident, one of the participants Renukamma from Khairavadagi village was killed in a road accident on Monday near Bengaluru.

A Lingayat seer Swami Panditaradhya said the indifferent state government has chosen to turn a blind eye to the demand.

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