THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There are problems galore for KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran with both the Congress factions lodging a complaint with the AICC leadership. Their grouse is over his controversial comment that former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala should have kept away from the betrothal function of liquor baron Biju Ramesh's daughter and former revenue minister Adoor Prakash's son.
Leaders cutting across group loyalties told DC that they had shot off a written complaint to AICC general secretary in charge of the State, Mukul Wasnik. They alleged Mr Sudheeran himself had breached the dictum he issued against making public statements as per the advice of AICC leadership.
They faxed the complaint to Mr Wasnik and sent the video clipping of his controversial statement. "It should be recalled that Mr Chennithala became Opposition Leader with the support of Mr Sudheeran. But now Mr Chennithala had ditched him after the controversial statement," said a Congress leader.
A section of the Congress leaders demands action against him for criticising leaders publicly. His stand was that the two should not have attended the betrothal as it was Mr Ramesh who accelerated the UDF Government's fall with bribery charges. Though they went there towards the fag end of the ceremony, it still courted controversy as their pictures sharing space with the couple were all over the social media.
However, AICC leadership denied getting any complaints from the KPCC leaders. A senior AICC leader told DC that it was an individual perception whether they should have attended the ceremony or not. "Adoor Prakash was their former cabinet colleague and so has every right to attend the function," said an AICC leader. Meanwhile, the AICC leadership is expected to invite 50 KPCC leaders to New Delhi by early July for a brainstorming session on the strategy to strengthen the party.
Congress for Brexit-like poll on liquor policy
KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran has asked whether the LDF Government was ready to take a referendum on the model of Brexit to know whether a new liquor policy had to be brought in or not. Sudheeran was speaking after inaugurating the anti-narcotics day celebrations at KPCC office.
Sudheeran said the LDF Government should be ready not to take the opinion of vested interests and instead take the right agenda and guidelines so that whether it should go for abstinence or prohibition was in the form of a referendum. "The LDF Government has been having an unholy nexus with the liquor lobby where they jointly work as per a prepared script. The CPM has got an unholy nexus with the liquor lobby since the Assembly elections", said Sudheeran.
He also said that during the Assembly elections, they entered into an agreement which was disapproved by CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on the proposed liquor policy. But later on due to the compulsion of the State committee of the CPM, Yechury had to fall in line. Sudheeran lamented that there had been propaganda from the LDF that the UDF's liquor policy did not have positive aspects and which the Governor stated in his address.
"From April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2016, there was a remarkable drop in liquor sales touching just 22.11 percent. But there has been a spurt in beer wine sales. The atmosphere in households across the State had improved by leaps and bounds", added Sudheeran. BJP State president Kummanam Rajasekharan demanded that the new liquor policy of the LDF Government should not be about increasing the consumption of liquor. He said that Kerala should follow the path of Tamil Nadu and go in for prohibition of liquor.
