LDF's liquor policy flawed, says VS

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JUNE 15. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. V.S. Achuthanandan, has admitted that the liquor policy announced by the Nayanar Government was ``flawed and inopportune'' and that it cost the LDF dearly in the Assembly election.

Participating in a ``Meet-the-Press'' programme organised by the Press Club here today, Mr. Achuthanandan said the LDF earned the wrath of over 55,000 families who were dependent on retail liquor business in the private sector because the LDF leadership and the Government did not address their concerns while formulating the new liquor policy. The Government, he said, should have consulted all concerned, including the Opposition, while formulating the policy.

He said the small-time contractors and their employees found themselves in a difficult spot with the Government deciding to form cooperatives of toddy workers and handing over retail sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor to the public sector. The Government failed to address this problem. The cooperatives formed on the basis of the new policy saw the earnings of each shop eroding by one-third and this caused untold hardship to the toddy workers.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the financial crisis that hit the State during the final days of the Nayanar Government also hurt the LDF at the hustings and said it was mainly the result of the Centre's unhelpful stand and the games played by the bureaucrats who manned the department.

The Centre, he said, had refused to release Rs. 530 crores due to the State by way of share in Central taxes and reduced the amount due to the State under the Eleventh Finance Commission Award by Rs. 730 crores. This hurt the State's interests, particularly in areas as People's Plan Campaign. Although much good could be done for the people as part of the campaign, the financial crunch at the final stage resulted in people not getting money from the treasuries. This antagonised people who went to treasuries for getting small amounts under various heads, he pointed out.

He did not also buy the argument that the police policy of the Nayanar Government caused damage to the LDF. Although there might have been isolated instances of errors in the maintenance of law and order, it would be incorrect to say that the LDF Government's police policy was flawed, he said.

Referring to the allies' criticism against the LDF, he said people could gauge the responsibility of each constituent of the LDF for the Front's defeat by evaluating their relative strengths and contributions to the Front's cause.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the decision that students in Standard VIII should study the old syllabus amounted to a throwback to the situation that prevailed in the State some 15 years ago. The LDF Government had carried out the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) with the intention of giving a student-friendly dimension to primary level education and this had produced good results. The appropriate thing to do was to carry it forward to the higher levels, he added.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the rallying of communal forces also was a major reason for the LDF's defeat. The Congress found no qualms in allying with the BJP-RSS combine. The Muslim League, which was critical of the BJP after the demoition of the Babri Masjid, also did not have any problem in joining forces with the BJP and RSS to defeat the LDF. But the UDF Government that has come on the crest of such an ``unholy alliance'' would not be able to do anything for the State, he said.

The State Government, he said, would have to take strong stance on issues affecting the people. While nobody objected to the Chief Minister's declaration that his Government did not wish to go in for a confrontation with the Centre, nobody would countenance silence when the Centre initiated policies that went against the State's interests.

The price of rubber, for instance, had fallen from Rs. 33 to Rs. 29 with the announcement of the decision to import 15,000 tonnes of natural rubber. The Government should take a firm stand on such issues. If it did so, it would receive the wholehearted support of the Opposition, he added.

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