Govt priority is to help liquor lobby: Oommen Chandy

Kottayam: The LDF government is giving priority to meeting the demands of the liquor lobby while hundreds of people are dying due to contagious diseases, said former chief minister and senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy here on Saturday. Inaugurating a dharna organised by the UDF against the liquor policy of the LDF government, he said the UDF government wanted to help society. But the LDF government is saying ‘yes’ to the liquor lobby," he added.

The working time of bars has been extended and the local self-government bodies have been deprived of the authority to grant bar licences, he said. UDF district chairman Josy Sebastian presided over the meeting.