The Chief Minister of Kerala has come out with a comprehensive plan to bring about total prohibition in Kerala, phased over a 10 year period. This was an unthinkable decision up till a few days ago. And by arriving at the decision, the chief minister has won over the detractors in his Congress party, a section of which had even branded him as the spokesman for the liquor lobby! Even the ever critical opposition, led by the CPM, has been left gasping to come up with a suitable counter and have ended up supporting the move! How was Oommen Chandy able to achieve the seemingly impossible?
Let's recall the run up to the current situation. A rough diary of events goes something like this:-
(a) 418 bars were asked to be shut down by the court for being run in unhygienic conditions.
These were essentially hosted by hotels below the '5 star' category.
(b) Earlier, about 312 bars were shut down for similar reasons.
(c) Considering the fact that excise duty that pours into the state's coffers, by virtue of the
annual sale of liquor, is to the tune of over Rs.8,000 crores, the chief minister and his
excise minister had called up several rounds of meetings with all the stakeholders to find
a solution to the vexed issue.
(d) Meanwhile, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief, VM Sudheeran, brings in the
moral angle and vows not to let the closed bars open.
(e) The church openly backs Sudheeran's call. The main constituents of the UDF viz. the Kerala
Congress, led by KM Mani and the Muslim League also support this call almost bringing
about a crisis to Oommen Chandy's leadership.
(f) The chief minister calls for a 'practical' approach to the problem for which he's branded as
the liquor lobby's man. A decision was consequently to be arrived at during the UDF
meeting last Wednesday.
(g) At the meeting, the chief minister unveils his total prohibition plan getting all round support from the
womenfolk of Kerala, the church and his supporters. The opposition and his detractors
are but forced to laud his masterstroke.
My take.
Apologies for sounding a cynic but I've the following factors to back my point of view:-
(a) Though Malayalees are 'statistically' established to be good imbibers of the bubbly, complete
prohibition is not the answer. It's only gonna rake up illicit brewing, rampant cross border
indulgences and sale of spurious liquor, manufactured by unscrupulous guys.
(b) What is needed is to bring about 'a restraint' in consumption through novel educative means.
(c) The income for the state's coffers will be very difficult to be made up through alternate
means.
(d) The thousands of workers involved in the tapping of toddy, distribution at the bars etc need
to be compensated with alternate employment which is a difficult proposition.
Tailpiece.
Whatever said and done, playing politics can bring about unthinkable decisions!
Let's recall the run up to the current situation. A rough diary of events goes something like this:-
(a) 418 bars were asked to be shut down by the court for being run in unhygienic conditions.
These were essentially hosted by hotels below the '5 star' category.
(b) Earlier, about 312 bars were shut down for similar reasons.
(c) Considering the fact that excise duty that pours into the state's coffers, by virtue of the
annual sale of liquor, is to the tune of over Rs.8,000 crores, the chief minister and his
excise minister had called up several rounds of meetings with all the stakeholders to find
a solution to the vexed issue.
(d) Meanwhile, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief, VM Sudheeran, brings in the
moral angle and vows not to let the closed bars open.
(e) The church openly backs Sudheeran's call. The main constituents of the UDF viz. the Kerala
Congress, led by KM Mani and the Muslim League also support this call almost bringing
about a crisis to Oommen Chandy's leadership.
(f) The chief minister calls for a 'practical' approach to the problem for which he's branded as
the liquor lobby's man. A decision was consequently to be arrived at during the UDF
meeting last Wednesday.
(g) At the meeting, the chief minister unveils his total prohibition plan getting all round support from the
womenfolk of Kerala, the church and his supporters. The opposition and his detractors
are but forced to laud his masterstroke.
My take.
Apologies for sounding a cynic but I've the following factors to back my point of view:-
(a) Though Malayalees are 'statistically' established to be good imbibers of the bubbly, complete
prohibition is not the answer. It's only gonna rake up illicit brewing, rampant cross border
indulgences and sale of spurious liquor, manufactured by unscrupulous guys.
(b) What is needed is to bring about 'a restraint' in consumption through novel educative means.
(c) The income for the state's coffers will be very difficult to be made up through alternate
means.
(d) The thousands of workers involved in the tapping of toddy, distribution at the bars etc need
to be compensated with alternate employment which is a difficult proposition.
Tailpiece.
Whatever said and done, playing politics can bring about unthinkable decisions!
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