Excise Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan has said that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) will review the liquor policy to make it more in tune with the ground reality in the State.
Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, Mr. Ramakrishnan said the government was seized of the reports which showed that there was a sharp increase in substance abuse in the State and that the curbs on liquor sale had dealt a blow to the tourism sector.
‘‘We will discuss the entire issue and place it before the people,’’ he said. Although the Minister did not say so, the LDF State committee is scheduled to discuss the liquor policy, possibly at its meeting here on June 8.
The LDF leadership is inclined to restore the licences to three and four-star hotels, but is worried that there could be a backlash if it did so.
However, there is a strong argument in the ruling alliance that any dilly-dallying on the issue would hurt the State government’s finances grievously and would contribute to huge social implications by way of heightened levels of substance abuse.
The CPI(M) State secretariat has already had a round discussion on the subject. One proposal before the party is to go for restoration of the liquor policy that was being followed by the V.S. Achuthanandan government and by the Oommen Chandy government till 2014 when renewal of licences of 418 bars fell due and got embroiled in court cases and political controversies, particularly as part of a power struggle within the Congress.
LDF constituents
The other LDF constituents, particularly the CPI, is fully in agreement with the need for a re-look at the liquor policy but, collectively, the LDF leadership is likely to decide to place curbs on liquor sale practices so that any possible resistance to the new policy can be neutralised somewhat.
The LDF government had delayed announcing its liquor policy on account of the Malappuram Lok Sabha byelection.
