THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Latin Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram M Soosa Pakiam on Thursday expressed the concern that the UDF Government was planning to water down its liquor policy.
“If the government is planning to change the policy, we can’t say don’t vote for this government, but we can ask people to be wary of this government,’’ he told a press conference here.
“Allowing even wine and beer parlours to operate would go against the government’s declared policy to ban liquor in stages,’’ he said.
Reacting to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s statement that the government would make practical changes in the policy, he expressed the hope that the government would not scuttle the policy.
“Earlier they made us happy with their decision (to ban liquor). But recent statements make us suspect their sincerity,’’ he said.
The church’s stand on liquor was clear. It favoured a total ban on liquor, he said.
‘’There are two aspects to it. Ban and abstinence. A ban can be enforced by law. But law alone cannot ensure its success. I would say abstinence is more important. Nevertheless, a government can reduce the availability of alcohol through law,’’ he said.
‘Reconversion anti-constitutional’
The ‘reconversion’ campaign is born of a mindset that aims at scuttling the Constitution, the Latin Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram M Soosa Pakiam said on Thursday. ‘’I fear that this approach would fuel communal sentiments,’’ he said, reacting to the controversy over the reconversion drive by Hindutva outfits. The Constitution assures equality to all, protecting both the majority and the minority. The Christians formed less than two per cent of the population, he said. ‘’This is a great concern for us. So far we did not have any such fears,’’ he said.
‘Reconversion anti-constitutional’
The ‘reconversion’ campaign is born of a mindset that aims at scuttling the Constitution, the Latin Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram M Soosa Pakiam said on Thursday. ‘’I fear that this approach would fuel communal sentiments,’’ he said, reacting to the controversy over the reconversion drive by Hindutva outfits. The Constitution assures equality to all, protecting both the majority and the minority. The Christians formed less than two per cent of the population, he said. ‘’This is a great concern for us. So far we did not have any such fears,’’ he said.