The possibilities of an amicable resolution to the liquor bar licence issue appears to be remote, with Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran putting his foot down on the reopening of the 418 bars that were shut down owing to poor quality standards.
Capitalising on Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s inexplicable delay in taking a decision for the better or the worse, Mr. Sudheeran announced a series of anti-liquor campaigns beginning from October 2, Gandhi Jayanthi day, that would take his present position against the proliferation of liquor dens and outlets in the State to the next stage.
Unflinching stance Large sections in the Congress do not fully subscribe to Mr. Sudheeran’s unflinching stand, but very few are willing to oppose it in public domain or in party committees. Armed with the “near unanimous” support of the party as he has admitted, Mr. Sudheeran is all set to go off on a different political trajectory that will make anti-liquor campaigns the major political plank for the Congress party.
The decision of the party-government coordination committee to set up a four-member panel to sort out differences over renewal of bar licences is primarily intended to keep the channels of communication open on the bar licence issue, but senior leaders are not optimistic about a positive outcome.
Earlier attempts to arrive at an understanding had been futile. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, who had mooted a compromise formula to settle the impasse over the bar licence renewal, discarded because it was shot down by Mr. Sudheeran, who has since gone one step further by demanding the closure of other category bars that are of poor standards.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is now under pressure from his Cabinet colleagues to take a decision either way at the earliest so that the government could move forward by ending a policy paralysis that have set in owing to the difficulty in settling differences.
The High Court has given a six-week ultimatum for the government to finalise its liquor policy, though technically, it need to formulate the policy by the next financial year.
