THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 11th session of the 15th Legislative Assembly began on a stormy note on Monday, with the opposition's protest over bar bribery charges against the LDF government, forcing an early adjournment of the House.
The opposition demanded an inquiry under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act into the bar bribery allegations and trooped to the well of the House in protest.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said a crime branch probe is currently underway and that the government will ensure that the probe does not face any roadblocks. However, the opposition continued with its protests forcing Speaker AN Shamseer to rush through the day's proceedings and adjourn the House.
During zero hour, the opposition gave notice for an adjournment motion to discuss the charge that bar owners had collected money to pay the LDF government in return for a liberal liquor policy. Speaking on the notice for adjournment motion, Congress' Roji M John said the ongoing crime branch inquiry ordered by the government is about how a voice clip of a bar owners' association functionary, that mentions about the alleged corruption, got leaked. The probe will not deal with the money collected for bribing the government, he added.
Contending that there was clear evidence that money was collected by bar owners to sway the liquor policy, Roji asked the government why it was hesitating from registering an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act. "It's clear for whom the money was collected. Abetment to corruption is punishable under law," the Congress MLA said. He added that the ongoing probe was a farce.
Excise Minister MB Rajesh said that the government has not even started preliminary discussions on the liquor policy. The meetings convened earlier by the Chief Secretary and the Tourism Director had no direct link to the liquor policy, he said. The Minister also clarified that no decision has been taken to scrap dry day as alleged by the opposition.
The Minister spoke in detail about the flaws in the liquor policy of the previous UDF government and contended that liquor consumption has come down during the LDF government's tenure. Also, bar license fees and fines imposed on bars for wrongdoings have also increased exponentially during the LDF government's tenure, he added.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan accused the Minister of beating around the bush by comparing the liquor policies of the UDF and LDF governments instead of directly responding to the allegations. Satheesan asked what right the tourism department had in convening a meeting of stakeholders in the excise sector. The Leader of the Opposition alleged that the Excise Department was 'hijacked' by the Tourism Department.
Satheesan also demanded the Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyaz to step down when he claimed that he was not aware of the meeting convened by the Tourism Director allegedly with hoteliers and bar owners. He insisted that only an inquiry under the Prevention of Corruption Act could unearth the conspiracy and abetment to corruption that happened in connection with the liquor policy.
