The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) will take on the State government in its new liberalised liquor policy by organising campaigns at the Assembly constituency, district, and State levels. The campaigns would culminate in a rally in front of the Secretariat and the district collectorates on July 1, the day the new norms will come into effect.
The UDF’s high-power committee which met here on Friday also decided to tie up with like-minded people and organisations against the liquor policy, which, it said, would lead to a free flow of liquor in the State. On June 15, the coalition will organise people’s collectives in all the 140 Assembly constituencies against the liquor policy and the animal slaughter notification of the UDF government.
On June 12, UDF district committees will be convened to finalise the action plan of the July 1 anti-liquor march.
Corruption alleged
Addressing a press meet here after the meeting, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said there was corruption behind the decision. Mr. Chennithala said the Communist Party of India’s stance on the issue was curious. For a party which had found fault with whatever Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did, the party had oddly thrown its full weight behind the decision.
‘Figures cooked up’
Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran said there was an organised move to liberalise the liquor policy that was aimed at depicting the UDF’s liquor policy as a failure. Statistics related to substance abuse and illicit liquor was cooked up with the involvement of some enthusiastic officials, Mr. Sudheeran said in an article released for publication. He said many of the LDF government’s reasons for liberalising the liquor policy were irrelevant since the social cost would be much higher than the economic gain.
The tourism sector witnessed growth during the last two years despite the restrictions on liquor trade.
