Thiruvananthapuram, April 3 (BPNS)
The Thamarassery Bishop of the Catholic Church, Remigius Maria Paul Inchananayil has lashed out against the Kerala Government on the new liquor policy of the state government. The government has announced that the state-controlled Beverages corporation will open more outlets as well as open bars in the Information technology parks in the state. The state government has also announced that microbreweries will also be allowed to function in the state.
It may be noted that Bishop Remigius Inchananayil had earlier showered accolades on the Chief Minister and had even said that if Pinarayi Vijayan had become Chief Minister twenty-five years ago he would have transferred the state into a modern one.
The Catholic Bishop of Thamarassery diocese told media persons on Sunday that the church will have to strongly oppose the government’s stand on liquor and said that more liquor shops mean more people becoming addicted.
He said that the church can never sit idle when the people are being at stake due to the wrong policies of the government.
The sudden volte-face by the Bishop is seen as an expression owing to the stiff opposition that the Catholic church has been putting up against the consumption of liquor. More than this the waning popularity of the LDF government in the K-Rail issue would also have led to such a statement from the Bishop.
The state government of the LDF is facing a major crisis over the high-speed, K-Rail project and the government is facing stiff resistance from all parts of the state against the proposed land survey by the K-Rail authorities. While the Chief Minister had taken a strong stand that the project which will cost the exchequer around 1.25 lakh crore would be implemented at any cost, the opposition has unitedly opposed the project.
