Thiruvananthapuram: A black flag protest against a state minister and the continuing debate on liquor bar licences roiled the Independence Day mood in Kerala.
In Kannur, minister Manjalamkuzhy Ali faced a black flag-protest during an Independence Day function and in the state capital, anti-liquor activists staged a protest against chief minister Oommen Chandy. Elsewhere, debate raged over the re-issuing of licences for 418 liquor bars in the state that were closed because their facilities were found to be below par.
In Kannur, members of an association supporting the cause of scheduled castes and tribes waved a black flag near the stage when minister Mankalamkuzhi Ali was participating in the Independence Day parade. Police removed six persons from the scene before the parade could go ahead.
It was still being investigated how the team of protestors got there early and occupied seats in front for an event that had tight security cover. The six protestors are now in police custody. They were shouting slogans stating that the government was not doing anything for the welfare of scheduled castes and tribes. Reports also indicated that the protestors were upset about the way the government treated the adivasis (lower castes) on the Aralam farm.
In the state capital, anti-liquor protestors shouted slogans against chief minister Oommen Chandy. Police, however, ensured that the chief minister’s vehicle was not stopped by protestors. Anti-liquor activists fear that the government may be aiding liquor bar owners to reopen bars that have been closed down.
In a related incident, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, V.M. Sudheeran reminded the government that in the case of liquor bar licences, it should not take decisions without considering public sentiment. A number of meetings involving the KPCC and the state government leadership have not been able to come to a conclusion on the bar licence issue. Sudheeran is stringently against renewing the licences of the 418 bars that have been closed down.
The Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan opposed Sudheeran’s stand on Friday, pointing out that Sudheeran had no right to say what public sentiment was. Natesan said Sudheeran was a loner and that he was free to state his own views instead of stating what the public thought about the issue.
