Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram: The opposition Congress and the BJP on Sunday castigated the Left government in Kerala for its liquor policy, accusing Excise Minister M B Rajesh and Tourism Minister P A Mohammed Riyas of “lying” to the public by claiming that no discussion had taken place regarding the scrapping of the “dry day” norm.
While the Congress questioned the silence of Pinarayi Vijayan on the issue and sought to know why a vigilance probe had not been ordered into the allegations, the saffron party reminded the CM that his friend and Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues had to go to jail over a similar issue for changing the government policy.
The Congress urged the government to announce a judicial probe into the allegations and sack the Excise minister, while the BJP pressed for CM Vijayan to hand over the investigation to a central agency.
Addressing a press conference in Ernakulam, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan wondered why a vigilance probe has not been ordered into the allegations despite receiving a complaint. Satheesan rejected the claims of state Tourism and Excise Ministers that no discussions were held with regard to the “dry day” norm.