The government has no confusion over the liquor policy, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.
Replying to a point of order of Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan in the Assembly on Thursday on the ‘changes’ in the liquor policy, Mr. Chandy said that there was no change in the policy that was firmed up in line with the United Democratic Front (UDF) election manifesto for introducing prohibition in phases. It was a well-considered decision and not an instant one.
The government will consider the series of incidents which took place in the State after announcing the policy, observations of the court, the final verdict, the problems faced by the bar workers, and its impact on the tourism sector. The government has not yet taken a call on certain issues like issuing licence for beer and wine parlours and also for clubs.
All those will be considered and the government will implement the policy in a transparent manner, the Chief Minister said.
Compromise allegedMr. Achuthanandan accused the Chief Minister of making changes in the policy and striking a compromise with bar owners to protect Finance Minister K.M. Mani. The setback suffered by the government in cases related to the issue and the move to grant beer and wine parlours were part of the agreement.
Mr. Chandy said that in spite of different interpretations to the policy, the government would stick to its stance and would not make any changes.
