CPI in Kerala Eases Alcohol Ban for Party Members
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Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 8 (NationPress) More than three decades after instituting a ban on alcohol consumption among its members, the Communist Party of India has decided to ease these restrictions, asserting that moderate drinking poses no harm.
In 1992, the CPI, which is the second largest party within the Left Democratic Front, enforced a rule against liquor consumption by party members.
Now, with the ban lifted, the party has issued a directive to its members allowing them to consume alcohol, provided it is done in moderate amounts. The directive emphasizes that drinking should not become habitual and must never occur in public spaces to protect the party's image.
Interestingly, while the Congress-led United Democratic Front advocated for prohibition in 2015, leading to the shutdown of over 500 bars and restricting liquor sales to only five-star hotels for a time, the CPI-M-led Left opposed these prohibition measures.
With the Kerala Assembly's budget session set to commence later this month, this decision by the CPI will likely be a topic of contention for the Congress-led Opposition.
Over the years, the state treasury of Kerala has benefited significantly from taxes on liquor sales, generating an impressive Rs 16,609.63 crore in the last fiscal year, an increase from Rs 16,189.55 crore in 2022-23.
In Kerala, liquor is sold through 277 retail locations operated by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation, along with an additional 39 outlets run by the state-supported cooperative organization Consumerfed.
Statistics reveal that approximately 32.9 lakh individuals out of Kerala's 3.34 crore population consume alcohol, comprising 29.8 lakh men and 3.1 lakh women. Daily consumption is reported by around five lakh people, with 83,851 individuals, including 1,043 women, classified as alcohol dependent.
