Kerala’s Congress president VM Sudheeran on Friday blasted the UDF Government led by his own party for its decision to drastically water down its own liquor policy envisaging total liquor ban in ten years pushing the Congress and the already beleaguered Government into a fresh crisis.
“The liquor policy has totally been sabotaged,” Sudheeran said in a statement on Friday. He said that the decision to dilute the liquor policy by revoking the order making Sundays no-booze days and to allot beer-wine licences to the 418 bars closed down on March 31 for lack of required facilities was disappointing and had shocked the people. According to Sudheeran, the dilution of the liquor policy, as announced by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday, was equivalent to imposing the interests of the liquor lobby on the people. Observers, however, are viewing Sudheeran’s criticisms as yet another chapter in the protracted war in the Congress between Chandy and the party’s State chief.
Hitting out at the Government with the statement that it had illogically withdrawn its declared policy, Sudheeran said that the decision to make changes to the liquor policy was taken as per a script prepared by some vested interests. The decision to allow more beer-wine parlours would lead to an increase in the affinity for booze among the people.
Stating that he would continue his works as the PCC chief for a ban on liquor in the State, Sudheeran said it was surprising that the Government decided to alter the liquor policy based on the recommendations made by a panel of two Government secretaries in less than a week. The report, prepared unilaterally, lacked credibility, he added.
After the Chief Minister announced his plan to make “practical” changes to the liquor policy, the Government had asked the secretaries of the Tourism and labour departments to study the policy's impact on tourism and the lives of the employees of the bars which were closed down or could be closed down. The committee had submitted its report on Thursday morning.
Sudheeran, who had led a 35-day all-Kerala campaign tour to popularise the liquor policy, also questioned the rationale behind the decision to dilute the liquor policy citing concerns about a backlash in the tourism sector and job-loss of bar employees. What the Government should have done was to take steps for the rehabilitation of the bar employees, he said.
Sudheeran’s unambiguous stand opposing the dilution of the liquor policy is sure to lead to intensification of the ongoing war both in the Congress and the Government. However, the majority of leaders in the groupism-ridden Congress and most of the constituents of the UDF are with the Chief Minister, the chief architect of the original liquor policy as well as its dilution.
Sudheeran’s attack against the Government came within hours of the Muslim league, second biggest constituent of the ruling UDF, making it clear that his party had no role in the decision to change the liquor policy. “The decision to change the policy was not of the Muslim league or the UDF,” said Muslim league general secretary ET Muhammad Basheer in Delhi.
Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan asked Sudheeran to resign as Kerala PCC chief in the context of the disregard shown to his stand by the Chief Minister in the liquor policy issue. He said the Muslim league was practicing politics of hypocrisy by clinging to power even while attacking the dilution of the liquor policy by the Government in which it was a partner.
Scathing attacks against Chandy for the dilution of the liquor policy also came in from the Christian Church of the State. Bishop Thomas K Oommen of the Church of South India said the Chief Minister was squarely responsible for the sabotage of the policy and that several unholy deals seemed to have worked behind it.