Viewing the Supreme court order stopping the Congress-led UDF government from closing down bars before September 30 only as a temporary setback, the government today decided to go ahead with its liquor policy seeking to achieve total prohibition within a decade.
A meeting of the leaders of the UDF constituents held here today extended support to the Oommen Chandy Government to carry forward the policy by taking necessary legal steps to convince the court of the circumstances that led to the government to take the decision, UDF sources said.
Earlier in the day, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee also rallied behind the government and wanted it to stand firm by its decision.
Talking to reporters after a pre-scheduled KPCC executive meeting, state Congress chief V M Sudheeran said there was no need for the government to relent the policy. The government should take steps to convince the court of the significance of the move.
Sudheeran, the prime mover behind the policy, wanted the Government to call an all-party meet to evolve a consensus on implementation of the new liquor policy.
Seizing on the apex court order, CPI(M) stalwart and Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan said this was a big blow to the government which formulated the policy in a discriminatory manner for gaining political mileage.
BJP state president V Muraleedharan said the order was the result of "immature" decisions of the government.
The Government had last month decided to shut all bars attached to hotels below five-star categories, laying the road map for total prohibition within a decade.
These included 418 bars which were not allowed to do business from April this year on the ground they lacked proper facilities. The Government's decision was not to renew licences for these bars and to close down another 312 bars attached to hotels below five-star category by 11 PM tonight.
Kerala, which has one of the high per capita consumption of liquor in the country, is bound to suffer a huge revenue loss by way of the decision.
