Southern States
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Kerala
Threat to launch mass movement against liquor policy
By Our Staff Reporter
PATHANAMTHITTA, DEC. 5. The Kerala Madya Virudha Janakeeya Munnani (MVJM) has urged the United Democratic Front to reject the KPCC recommendation for individual licensing system for toddy shops similar to the existing bar licensing system.
A State committee meeting of the MVJM chaired by the supreme head of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Dr. Philippose Mar Chrysostum, in Thiruvalla today decided to launch a mass movement against the liquor policy, if the Government went ahead with the KPCC recommendation.
Presiding over the meeting, the Mar Thoma Metropolitan alleged that the UDF that came to power with the poll promise of prohibition in a phased manner was playing into the hands of the abkari lobby.
However, he said that the allegation from certain quarters that the MVJM was trying to make the toddy-tappers jobless was baseless. ``It was unfortunate that certain people are trying to communalise the social issue and the people of Kerala are wise enough to distinguish between the chaff and the grain,'' he added.
He said that most of the hooch tragedy victims were found to be Dalits and lower class people and the Government should give top priority to protect them from the pangs of this social evil.
Addressing the meeting, the former SNDP Yogam president, Dr. K.K. Rahulan, who is also the MVJM vice-chairman, alleged that the Congress leaders had literally thrown the preachings of Mahatma Gandhi on prohibition in the waste bin by adopting such an anti-people liquor policy.
The SNDP Yogam leadership had been unfortunately fallen into the hands of the abkari lobby who has been defaming the great sage and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, Dr. Rahulan alleged.
``The Ezhava population in the State comes to around 90 lakh and it seems absurd that the SNDP Yogam, having a total membership of about 16 lakhs, claims to be the leaders of the community,'' the former Yogam president said.
Dr. Rahulan said that a majority of the Ezhava people was against the liquor trade. It was unfortunate that Mr. Vellappally Natesan was trying to stamp them as toddy-tappers and traders and thereby chaining them to the liquordom, he alleged.
The MVJM general convener Rev. Thomas Thythottom warned of severe consequences if the Government accepted the KPCC recommendation. It was ironical that the KPCC accepted the dissenting note of two members when they rejected the sub-committee report on its proposed toddy policy, he added.
The MVJM vice-chairman, Bishop Dr. Sam Mathew, the treasurer Rev. Yoohanan Ramban, the State convener, Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan, the All Kerala Catholic Congress (AKCC) president, Mr. John Kachiramattom, the Sarvodaya leader, Mr. E. Narayana Pillai, the Bishop, Dr. Peter Thuruthikonam, and the Madya Nirodhana Samithi working president, Mr. Iyyacherry Kunjikrishnan Master, also addressed the meeting.
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