A day after Congress-led UDF Government diluted its three-month-old new liquor policy, party state president V M Sudheeran said the government had succumbed to the pressure of liquor lobby. Sudheeran, who had been touring in North Kerala when the decision was announced on Thursday, said he was surprised to learn about the changes in the new liquor policy. He said the government decision was against the intention of the people. The interest of the liquor lobby was foisted upon the people. The party would fight against it, he said. It was Sudheeran's adamant stand against renewing the licence of 418 bars, which had been once identified as unhygienic, that finally culminated in the government declaring closure of all bars and prohibition in a decade. He said the decision to allow beer and wine parlours for the closed bars would only make the younger generation liquor addicts. The party wanted to bring down the consumption of liquor and also its availability step by step. The decision to allow more beer parlours is a crime towards the next generation. He also rejected Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's claim that loss of job of bar workers was a reason for reviewing the liquor policy. The reports of the labour and tourism departments favouring diluting the liquor policy was a pre-planned one. Government could have found several options for rehabilitating the bar workers, instead of allowing to reopen them. Congress ally Indian Union Muslim League has also come against the changes in the liquor policy. In fact, the Cabinet has gone for the changes overruling the opposition from IUML ministers.
