Thiruvananthapuram | The opposition UDF on Wednesday urged the Left government in Kerala to withdraw the approval granted to a private company for establishing a brewery unit in a village in Palakkad, arguing that the project was unnecessary for the people of the state and would lead to drinking water scarcity in the area.
A day after the ruling CPI(M) mocked them and accused them of running away from their allegations on the matter, the Congress-led opposition front raised the brewery issue in the Assembly and demanded an explanation from the Pinarayi Vijayan government.
Senior Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala brought up the matter during the discussion on the policy address of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
Alleging that corruption is ingrained in the LDF government's functioning, Chennithala claimed that large-scale irregularities were involved in granting permission to Oasis Commercial Pvt Ltd to set up the brewery plant at Elappully village in Kanchikode, Palakkad district.
He questioned why the Pinarayi Vijayan government was adamant about allowing an alcohol manufacturing unit in the state when previous administrations, including those led by E K Nayanar, V S Achuthanandan, and Oommen Chandy, had refused to approve similar proposals.
The Haripad legislator further alleged that the allocation of the brewery project to the private company was comparable to the Delhi liquor scam.
Citing the controversy over changes to the Delhi government's liquor policy, which led to the arrest of former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Chennithala asked for whom the Kerala cabinet had taken this decision.
The state cabinet, last week, approved the proposal by Oasis Commercial Pvt Ltd to set up the plant, subject to compliance with existing guidelines and conditions.
Questioning how the LDF government identified and shortlisted the company, Chennithala asked whether any tendering process had been conducted and alleged that permission was granted deliberately to favour the company.
"This is favouritism, nepotism, and outright corruption. This cabinet decision must be withdrawn. The project is unnecessary for the people of the state and cannot be accepted at any cost," he said.
He also questioned the CPI(M)'s claim that the water required for the brewery unit could be sourced through rainwater harvesting, asking whether any scientific studies had been conducted to support this claim.
The brewery unit is expected to require at least five lakh litres of water per day, and Chennithala said that a water-scarce village like Elappully could not afford such a demand.
Refuting CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan's claim that a "spirit lobby" was behind the ongoing protests, the Congress leader said their opposition was on behalf of the residents of Elappully, who have long struggled to access adequate drinking water.
On Monday, the ruling CPI(M) defended the Kerala government's decision to grant permission to the brewery project and alleged that the protests by opposition parties were "politically motivated." The Marxist party accused the Congress and BJP of attempting to create controversies over the issue, alleging that their protests were motivated by ulterior intentions.
