KCBC may have an agenda behind its demand for prohibition: Kanam

Thiruvananthapuram: CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran said here on Sunday that there might be an agenda behind the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council demanding prohibition instead of abstention.

Abstention was something recommended by the committee headed by Gandhian Udayabhanu. Why was the KCBC opposing that? the State  Secretary asked.

Addressing a Meet the Press Programme at Kesari Journalists Trust, Mr. Rajendran noted that a mafia of drug peddlers was operating in the State, but the KCBC had not passed any resolution against them.

The KCBC had earlier alleged that the CPI might have a secret agenda in opposing closure of liquor shops.

Mr. Rajendran said that the KCBC was not answering his questions on the issue. Its statements against CPI were not based on facts.

He said that prohibition had not been successful anywhere in the world. In Mizoram, prohibition had been withdrawn. In Goa, liquor was being freely used and casinos were mushrooming. Still the KCBC had not raised its voice against that.

Mr. Rajendran said that the LDF had not taken any decision on absorbing leaders such as P. C. George and K. B. Ganesh Kumar into the LDF fold though cooperation between them and the LDF continued.

The State Secretary said that he would not be contesting in the elections.  He had decided to focus on organisational matters. Asked about whether leaders against whom the party had taken action in connection with selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections would be considered as candidates, Mr. Rajendran said that party had taken action and the matter had ended there.

Asked about reports that the P. J. Joseph group in the Kerala Congress (M) proposed to return to LDF, Mr. Rajendran said that it had left the LDF saying that unity of the Kerala Congress was required in the interests of farmers. It was up to them to evaluate whether unity helped. The UDF government could not do anything when rubber prices plummeted. It lacked the will to force the Centre to act. It was notable that the centre had increased the import duty on sugar and fixed minimum import price for arecanut (for Karnataka farmers) and steel.

He said that legal action would be taken against a Malayalam newspaper that published a report saying that the daughter of CPI leader D. Raja had connections with a supporter of IS.

He said that a national seminar would be organised under the auspices of Achutha Menon Foundation from March 4 to 6 to prepare a policy document on sustainable development. Medha Patkar would inaugurate the valedictory of the seminar.  CPI was for sustainable development centered on man and nature as against capitalism based on capital and profits.