KCBC Anti-Liquor Committee Questions Government’s Liberal Bar Policy as Potential Election Deal, Demands Immediate Withdrawal
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) Anti-Liquor Committee has strongly criticized the Kerala government’s recent decision to extend bar operating hours, suggesting that this rapid policy change, coming just days before the announcement of assembly elections, could be perceived by the public as an ‘election deal.’ The committee has demanded the immediate withdrawal of this decision.
The committee emphasized that those who adopted such a liquor appeasement policy without consulting either the ruling front or the cabinet should recall the biblical warning: ‘Wine bites like a serpent and stings like a viper.’ They expressed concern that increasing the number and operating hours of liquor outlets would be akin to ‘adding fuel to the fire’ in Kerala, a state increasingly becoming a hub for narcotics, thus further harassing ordinary citizens.
Furthermore, the KCBC Anti-Liquor Committee urged the government not to attempt to expand liquor sales under the guise of promoting tourism. They clarified that tourists visit Kerala to appreciate its natural beauty, not to consume “local cheap brandy.” The committee asserted that the decline in tourist numbers is not due to a lack of alcohol availability, but rather stems from fears of aggression from drug users, alcoholics, stray dogs, and wild animals.
The committee warned that granting favors for specific purposes could lead to the public becoming violent and behaving erratically under the influence of alcohol and drugs. They likened the government’s current approach, as elections draw near, to “cutting down plantains when the house is on fire,” implying a disregard for long-term consequences for short-term gains.
In response to these developments, the Kerala Catholic Church has announced that it will observe Anti-Liquor Sunday on March 8. A church circular will be read in all churches across the Syro-Malabar, Latin, and Malankara rites, and various awareness programs will be conducted as part of this observance.