Spelling out the liquor policy of the LDF, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan has said that total prohibition was impractical in the State.
At an interactive session to elicit response from the public for the preparation of election manifesto of the LDF at the Malabar Palace here on Wednesday, Mr. Vijayan said that the Left coalition stood for abstinence rather than prohibition as it sensed the dangers of total prohibition.
Total prohibition would have an adverse effect in the society. Experience had shown that prohibition had led to brewing and sale of spurious liquor and spread of substance abuse. Even Congress- ruled States had to withdraw their decision after realising that total prohibition was a disappointment, Mr. Vijayan said.
He flayed Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for creating an impression that the Congress-led UDF government had already implemented prohibition in the State.
Incidentally the sale of liquor had increased in the State after the closure of bars.
On the contrary, the CPI(M) leader said that LDF had envisaged a policy that would make people reduce their liquor consumption through awareness campaigns. These campaigns would be worked out and launched with prohibition activists in the State, he said.
Mr. Vijayan also gave a rough idea of what the LDF manifesto would be when it is released on April 21. The focus would be on the role of the State in generating employment, reviving the sagging economy and providing an inclusive growth for one and all.
He criticised the UDF government for its failure to implement the pipeline project of the Gas Authority of India Limited.
This showed the inept attitude of the government to a project that would have been beneficial to the people of the State. The project would also have provided natural gas for power generation, Mr. Vijayan said.
