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Congress leader VM Sudheeran has said his party does not need either the votes or the donations of bar owners and liquor dealers.
The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President, who is currently on a Statewide ‘Janapaksham’ rally to whip up support for the Congress’s anti-liquor stand, told a news conference here on Monday that liquor-tainted money was anathema to his party. Sudheeran had recently disbanded a mandalam committee of the party for accepting ₹5000 as donation from a bar owner for the conduct of the ‘janapaksham’ rally.
He said party workers had been strictly told not to accept donations from those engaged in the liquor business. The party will soon issue a policy statement on this. He said he and the party stood for total prohibition, and not just abstinence. Prohibition will be achieved in phases. All the bars will be shut down in a phased manner.
He said vested interests were trying to torpedo the Oommen Chandy Government’s liquor policy. The recent bribery allegation against Finance Minister KM Mani was part of this plot. The bar owners’ association could not substantiate the allegation with evidence, he claimed.
However, Sudheeran’s remarks have been contradicted by some Congress leaders as well as other UDF partners.
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