Liquor policy of LDF government launched to attract foreign investors is being criticized
Liquor policy of LDF government launched to attract foreign investors is being criticized
Recently, the LDF government Sale of legal liquor allowed in “Specially Designated Areas” in IT Parks In response to industry complaints that techies lack alcohol socializing places where they can relax after work in Kerala. It said such facilities were essential to attract foreign investment. The government also approved the production of local beer and liquor and ‘low proof’ liquor from local produce excluding grain. It said a less restrictive liquor policy would provide a lifeline to the state’s tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. It has also opened more liquor shops with walk-in facility to prevent crowding in front of retail outlets.
The Congress-led UDF portrayed the new policy as an attempt to liberalize the production and sale of hard liquor. It alleged that powerful business interests took advantage of the LDF government’s reliance on liquor taxes. It seems that the liquor lobby wants to make a profit by making the earners addicted to alcohol. It is also alleged that the liquor lobby had promised a part of its profits to the CPI(M) to buy political cover.
Per capita alcohol consumption in Kerala is the highest in the country. Alcohol has always been a politically and socially sensitive subject. The Church-backed temperance movement in the state has a long and tumultuous history. In the 1980s, the Latin Catholic Church launched a social movement to ensure that fishing settlements were illicit alcohol-free. Other orthodox Muslim organizations including Jamaat-e-Islami support total prohibition.
The previous Congress government had adopted a strict policy of alcohol. In 2016, it attempted to implement a complete prohibition in a phased manner by closing liquor shops and canceling two-star and three-star bar licenses for the assembly elections. UDF lost. In 2017, the LDF government upheld the UDF’s liquor policy and went on to liberalize it gradually over the years.
However, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), affiliated to ruling coalition partner CPI, has opposed the latest policy of the LDF. The government seems to have opened the door for the increased sale and consumption of potent spirits. Aituck also fears that an abundance of breweries, wineries and distilleries will blow the traditional toddy sector to death.
AITUC’s opposition to the policy may prompt the opposition and religious groups to take social action against the government. Various Christian denominations and the Jamaat-e-Islami’s political wing, the Welfare Party of India, have opposed the current policy. Protests against the policy may also coincide with anti-Silverline protests that have gathered steam. However, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said that the CPI has not opposed the “as a party” policy.
It is unlikely that the government will repeal the new policy. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has repeatedly said that a vibrant nightlife is key to wooing IT majors. That said, Nissan had pointed to the need for strong partying and socializing avenues that remain open well into the night to set up its global digital hub in Thiruvananthapuram.
Prohibition has failed globally. Reducing the supply of legal alcohol without reducing social demand is no panacea for addiction as people may turn to illegal sources. It robs the government of revenue and the people of freedom of choice. The government and the opposition should engage in a constructive legislative debate on the new policy. The unrest over the new policy is not something Kerala can no longer tolerate.
anand.g@thehindu.co.in