Liquor policy sabotaged: Sudheeran

December 20, 2014 02:32 am | Updated November 16, 2021 05:54 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran has accused the State government of buckling under pressure from the liquor lobby to sabotage the solid decision of the United Democratic Front (UDF) to implement a liquor policy envisaging total prohibition in a phased manner.

Placing on record his opposition to the State government’s decision to make practical changes to its proclaimed liquor policy announced in August, Mr. Sudheeran in a statement here on Friday said the liquor policy had been widely accepted by the people as could be gauged from the support he got during his one-month-long Janapaksha Yatra.

“I am strongly opposed to the changes in the liquor policy since it imposes vested interests of the liquor lobby over public good. The widely accepted liquor policy has in effect been sabotaged,” he said.

Mr. Sudheeran is apparently seething at the manner in which the decision was taken. Instead of meeting media persons, he preferred to issue a two-page statement listing out his position on the issue. He accepted with pride the new liquor policy announced by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the UDF meeting on August 21. He had launched the Janapaksha Yatra in order to provide energy to the government’s enthusiasm to implement the new policy by coining anti-liquor slogans. The State government’s deviation from its proclaimed policy had stunned the people, he said. The changes were announced on the basis of two reports prepared by two government Secretaries within a matter of two days. No attempts had been made to conduct an expert study on the positive social impact ever since the 418 substandard bars were shut down. “What credibility can reports formulated unilaterally by two government Secretaries have? he asked.

The government could find a solution to the problems faced by employees working in the liquor industry.

Instead of making such efforts, it seems that the government was eager to create a situation favourable for the reopening of the closed liquor bars, he said.

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