'Each person should pay 2.5 lakhs, otherwise nobody will help us'; yet another bar bribery allegation in Kerala, voice clip surfaces

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Yet another bar bribery controversy has arisen in the state. A voice message sent by Federation of Kerala Hotel Association vice president Animon through WhatsApp suggesting soliciting funds in return for the relaxation in the liquor policy has come out. It was a private channel that broke the news.

In the voice message, Animon, who is also the president of the Idukki district chapter, can be heard saying that each bar owner should pay 2.5 lakh rupees to avoid dry days and increase bar hours. He further explains that the decision was taken on the instructions of the state president of the organization. The voice message demanding money from bar owners has surfaced at a time when discussions are taking place over a new liquor policy that considers demands, including scrapping dry days and extending bar hours.

‘Nobody will help us without giving money. Only those who can pay 2.5 lakh rupees will get the privileges. After the election, there will be a new liquor policy. Dry days will be scrapped. There will be many changes like that. For that to happen, money has to be paid”, Animon said in the voice message.

The executive meeting of the bar owners’ association was held in Kochi yesterday. Animon had also said that he was sending the voice message from the venue of the meeting. The voice message was sent to the WhatsApp group of the members of the organization from Idukki. The message was deleted soon after. State president V Sunil Kumar, who admitted that a meeting of bar owners was held in Kochi, responded that he had not given any instruction to collect money.