Youth Congress takes out march to assembly to protest govt nod for brewery in Palakkad

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 21 (PTI) Activists of the Youth Congress in Kerala on Tuesday took out a march to the assembly here protesting the state government for granting permission to set up a brewery at Elappully gram panchayat in Palakkad district.

The activists also burnt state Excise Minister M B Rajesh in effigy in front of the assembly during the protest.

Addressing the protestors, state youth congress president Rahul Mamkoottathil MLA alleged that the excise minister was "acting as an agent" for all the "frauds" being committed by the government.

He also alleged that the Oasis company which received permission to set up the brewery in Elappully was the ‘chief sponsor’ of the CPI(M) in the recent Palakkad by-election and the plant was the government’s ‘reward’ for them.

Mamkoottathil said the people were protesting against the exploitation of groundwater in Palakkad district which had always been facing water shortage.

The workers continued their protest before the assembly for more than an hour even after the police used water cannons several times to disperse them.

The Palakkad MLA said the protest will be intensified in the coming days and people of Palakkad will not let the brewery come up in their district. PTI MVG MVG ADB