Hassan, Unnithan Lock Horns Over Bar Issue

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ( KERALA ) : The ongoing tug of war between Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president V M Sudheeran on the bar licence issue reached a flashpoint with two official spokesmen of the Congress party locking horns in the open over the issue on Monday.

While KPCC vice-president M M Hassan claimed that the Chief Minister’s was a practical approach on the issue, Rajmohan Unnithan told reporters that Sudheeran’s stand not to open the 418 bars had received massive support within the party and of the general public and Hassan was making his personal views.

Hassan told a news conference in the morning that it was a UDF Government in power and not  the Congress Government. He also claimed that the government-party coordination committee  meeting had also endorsed the Chief Minister’s stand on the bar licence issue.

‘’It was on the request of the KPCC president that a decision on the issue was postponed before the Lok Sabha elections. Sudheeran had then stated that a decision could be arrived at on the basis of the court’s verdict,’’ Hassan said.

However, coming down heavily on Hassan,   Rajmohan Unnithan told a news conference in the evening that Hassan had not been entrusted to speak on policy matters.

‘’As the UDF high power committee is set to meet on August 21 and discuss the bar licence issue, Hassan’s statement is mysterious. Moreover, Hassan had no right to make statement on a policy issue of the government,’’ he pointed out.

‘’KPCC president Sudheeran’s voice is the Congress party’s voice. The move to depict that Sudheeran is isolated on the issue will not work,’’ Unnithan said. He said the general body of the KPCC is the supreme body of the party in the state.  Sudheeran told the general body meeting that there was no need for passing a resolution in this regard, Unnithan said.

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