‘Major corruption, receives 25 crore from bar owners'; K Sudhakaran seeks resignation of Minister M B Rajesh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KPCC chief K Sudhakaran said the new liquor policy is being implemented after accepting 25 crore from bar owners. A major corruption has taken place. Sudhakaran also demanded the resignation of Excise Minister M B Rajesh. The KPCC chief pointed that Rs 2.5 lakh is presently being collected from 900 bars in the state.

Sudhakaran said that there is a hearsay that a huge amount was collected even before the elections. The dues are being collected now. The move is to sell liquor in IT parks, increase bar timings, withdraw dry day and other measures that will make billions of profit to the bar owners. The chief minister’s new liquor policy will drown Kerala in liquor. This is the most awful decision which drives the young generation working in IT parks to alcohol. The chief minister is destroying their lives and life.

This is the time when alcohol and drugs are consuming Kerala. The idea behind the dry day was that ‘no alcohol on the first of every month’. Pinarayi assumed office promising to make Kerala alcohol-free. However, Pinarayi sidelined all that for bribe.

There was a big agitation by the left wing against Mani on the revelation of bar owners that K M Mani, who was the finance minister then, accepted a bribe of Rs 1 crore to open bars. K M Mani had to resign then. The present deal is of 25 crores. The excise minister should resign immediately.

Is note counting machine in CM’s house now?
Opposition leader V D Satheesan also came forward demanding the resignation of the excise minister. Satheesan said the move is shocking. Changes were made in the law to help abkaris. Satheesan also asked whether the note counting machine is now in the chief minister's house or the house of the excise minister. The opposition leader also demanded that the minister should step aside and face an investigation.

A voice message sent by Animon, vice president of Federation of Kerala Hotel Association, a bar owners' organization, through WhatsApp, has surfaced, directing to collect money in exchange for relaxation in the liquor policy. In the voice message, Animon also Idukki district president, demanded that a person should pay Rs two and a half lakh to avoid dry day and increase bar hours.

The message sent by Idukki district president mentioned that the collection is as per the decision of the state president of the organization. The voice mail demanding money comes amid hectic negotiations over a new liquor policy that considers demands including scrapping dry day and extending bar hours.

However, state president V Sunil Kumar, who admitted that a meeting of bar owners was held in Kochi, responded that he had not given any instructions to collect money. Sunil Kumar told the media that Animon has been suspended.