The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) on Monday raised fresh corruption allegations against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in connection with the opening up of liquor business in the State to foreign made foreign liquor (FMFL) by permitting its sale not only through the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) but also through beer and wine parlours, clubs and beer outlets irrespective of classification.
The Opposition had originally planned to raise the issue in the Assembly through a notice for an adjournment motion when it reassembled here on Monday after the weekend recess, but could not do so as the House was abruptly adjourned just 30 minutes into the day’s session.
Later addressing a press conference, senior Opposition leaders, led by Mr. Ramesh Chennithala, alleged that the government had deliberately forced the House to adjourn because it wanted to dodge the charges.
Provisions
The main thrust of the charges is that the government used the provisions in the Finance Act for sanctioning licence for the sale of FMFL through the outlets of the Bevco.
Three Opposition legislators, led by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, had objected to inclusion of the provisions when the provisions were discussed in the Subject Committee that considered the Finance Bill, but these became part of the Finance Act, subsequently passed by the Assembly.
Mr. Chennithala and Mr. Radhakrishnan, who briefed the media about the allegations, said the decisions were not part of the liquor policy of the State and the decision did not follow the usual procedures.
Concealing names
Mr. Radhakrishnan said that the government had concealed the names of two companies while responding to Assembly and RTI questions on the selection of suppliers of FMFL. It had admitted that it received even 17 applications from suppliers.
These included the ₹4000 crore-Bacardi India Pvt. Ltd, which had FMFL and foreign made wine distilleries in Haryana. The Opposition leaders wanted to know why the two names were concealed.
Mr. Chennithala said that further to this decision, the government issued orders for the sale of foreign liquor not only through the Bevco outlets but also bars, clubs, airport lounges, beer and wine parlours and beer retail outlets irrespective of their star ratings.
The UDF leaders alleged that these decisions were a continuation of the unholy alliance between the LDF and the liquor lobby during the Assembly elections in 2016. The leaders also feared that the LDF government’s decision would lead to proliferation of liquor.
Mr. Chennithala said he would legally pursue the earlier decisions sanctioning liquor manufacturing units. He had moved the Vigilance Court and would pursue this to its logical conclusion since it had already been established that there was corruption behind the deals.
