Fri Feb 21 22:28:21 UTC 2025: ## Liquor Vendors Clash After Karnataka Pre-Budget Meeting
**Bengaluru, February 22, 2025** – A pre-Budget meeting on Excise chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday ended in a physical altercation between two liquor vendors’ associations. The clash, which began with a verbal dispute in the Vidhana Soudha corridor, escalated into fisticuffs before being quelled by other officials and association members.
The incident stemmed from a pre-Budget meeting involving 12 liquor vendors’ associations. Members of the Karnataka State Liquor Merchants’ Development Cooperative Society from Mysuru were reportedly denied the opportunity to present their proposals due to time constraints. This angered the members, leading to a confrontation with the Federation of Wine Merchants Association Karnataka. Sources indicate pre-existing tensions between the two groups, with a past disagreement over a department corruption protest further fueling the conflict.
During the meeting, participants urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to reconsider plans to auction defunct CL-2 and CL-9 liquor licenses to raise revenue. They also demanded a doubling of their profit margin from 10% to 20%, and a reduction in duties levied on beverages and manufacturers.
First Piper 