Despite their inability to build a consensus in the party and the ruling UDF it heads on the question of whether to reopen all or some of the 418 bars closed on April 1 in the name of lack of required facilities, Congress leaders in Kerala on Wednesday proposed total prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the State.
“The closure of the substandard bars has created a situation in Kerala conducive to considering total prohibition of liquor. In short, Kerala is moving towards Prohibition. We should not miss this opportunity. It would be great if the Government implements Prohibition with the required will power,” State Congress president VM Sudheeran said on Wednesday.
The suggestion came from Sudheeran, who is firmly arguing against reopening of the closed bars while Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his ‘A’ group in the Congress want many of them reopened, immediately after Chandy-loyalist MM Hassan, PCC vice-president, proposed Prohibition. Ironically, Hassan had on Tuesday demanded reopening of the closed bars.
“We are seeing before us the positive results the bar closure has brought to Kerala. The proofs were presented in the Assembly by the Home Minister. Incidents of crime have decreased. Domestic violence has come down. Accidents have come down. Peace has begun to dawn in poor families ... Kerala’s mind is ready for Prohibition,” Sudheeran said.
However, observers tend to refuse to view the proposal seriously. It will be extremely difficult for the Kerala Government to even think of Prohibition considering the fact that almost 25 per cent of its revenues come from liquor sales. It had received Rs 7,241 crore in 2012-13 by way of taxes, duties, etc from the sale of India-made foreign liquor.
“These debates reflect nothing but the confusion in the Congress over the stand to be taken on the bar closure issue. The fact is that the Congress does not have a clear stand. Sudheeran is against reopening of any of the closed bars and Chandy and others oppose him. The Prohibition talk seems to be just another ploy,” said a senior journalist of a pro-Congress newspaper.
Hassan, who had on Tuesday vehemently demanded reopening of ‘quality’ bars among the closed 418, said on Wednesday, “Total prohibition of booze should be implemented in Kerala. Since major UDF constituents like the Muslim league and Kerala Congress(M) have already supported the idea, the Congress should present it in Thursday’s UDF meeting,” he said.
Quite surprisingly, Chandy avoided making any reference to the bar-liquor issue when he addressed the Press after a Cabinet meeting despite the fact the proposal was made by one of his own staunch loyalists. At the same time, leaders of Chandy’s rival ‘I’ group spoke in favour of Prohibition, saying that this had always been the ultimate goal of the Congress.
Former PCC chief K Muraleedharan MlA declared total support for the Prohibition proposal. “There is no point in going ahead with this unsteady stand in the case of the 418 closed bars. If the goal is Prohibition, all of us will support it. let there be a resolution in the KPCC. We will pass it unanimously,” Muraleedharan said.
Chandrika newspaper, official organ of the Muslim league, second biggest UDF constituent, on Wednesday published an editorial criticising the move to reopen some of the 418 bars and terming as ‘betrayers’ those who supported that move in an indirect reference to Chandy-loyalist K Babu, the Excise Minister who holds that any decision would depend on court order.
“We stand for total prohibition of liquor. We have always said that Prohibition should be brought about by bringing down sales and consumption through phases,” Muslim league general secretary KPA Majeed said. Finance Minister KM Mani, chairman of the Kerala Congress(M), supported eradication of liquor ‘ultimately’ but said this should be done ‘gradually’.