Brewery row: BJP takes out protest march to panchayat office in Kerala

Palakkad, Jan 20 (PTI) BJP workers took out a march to a local panchayat office here on Monday protesting against the permission granted by the Left government to a private company to start a brewery unit in this northern district of Kerala.

A large number of saffron party workers marched towards Elappully panchayat office here and raised slogans against the CPI(M)-led government and the civic body authorities over the recent cabinet decision in this regard.

The protesters alleged that besides the Left government, the Congress-led panchayat also had a role in the permission accorded to the Oasis Commercial Pvt Ltd for starting the brewery.

Besides the deployment of police personnel in the premises, the BJP workers tried to jump the closed gates of the panchayat office and attempted to barge into the compound.

Later, a scuffle broke out between the police and the protesters when the law enforcers forcibly tried to prevent them from entering the office. The agitators including women and elderly people wanted the authorities to suspend the permission granted to the company to start the brewery in the village.

They also staged a sit-in protest outside the panchayat office compound amidst police intensified the security in the area. The state cabinet, last week, had granted approval to Oasis Commercial Pvt Ltd to start the plant at Kanchikode in the Palakkad district, subject to compliance with the existing guidelines and conditions.

The Congress had questioned the permission given by the state government to Oasis and alleged that there was corruption behind the decision.

Elappully panchayat, where the brewery is proposed to be set up, also came out against the permission given by the government.

According to the local administrative body, if the brewery unit is set up it will dwindle the water resources in the area, which is facing severe water shortage already.

However, state Excise Minister M B Rajesh on Sunday alleged that opposition parties' protest to the permission given by the left government against the brewery was aimed at political gains.

He accused the opposition of stirring controversies purely for political gain and said they opposed the national highway development, the GAIL pipeline project, K-Rail, the Water Metro, and the Vizhinjam port.

Congress and BJP workers also held protests on Sunday at the land where the brewery is proposed to be set up. They alleged that the project would worsen the drinking water crisis in the area. PTI LGK ADB