Elappully: Socio-cultural activists staged a hunger strike in Elappully, Palakkad in protest against the government sanction to a brewery at Mannukkad.

The hunger strike organising committee demanded that the government desist from profiteering by popularising alcohol and making it easily available. Anti-alcohol People’s Alliance chairman and Mavelikkara Bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios inaugurated the demonstration.

Addressing the gathering, he criticised the government, saying its anti-drug slogans rang hollow in light of its actions. He called it unfortunate that the government was setting up a brewery and deploying official machinery to promote the sale of alcohol. He further demanded that local bodies be immediately restored with the authority to decide on the licensing of liquor outlets.

According to him, the drug menace threatening Kerala has its genesis in the government's policy of promoting alcoholism. The bishop urged the people of Kerala to say no to the government’s move to brew alcohol by exploiting drinking water. 

The protest started with an inter-religious prayer meeting. The Palakkad Bishop, Mar Peter Kochupurackal, was the chief guest.  He urged people on the receiving end of alcoholism and drug addiction to hit the protest path, fighting to stop their sale. Tamil Nadu Madura Gandhi Museum director Dr Nanda Rao and Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha Memorial Vidyalayam Trustee M Devaratnam participated. Trade union activist Thampan Thomas delivered the concluding message. 

Office bearers of various socio-cultural organisations like Dr P V Rajagopal, T Balakrishnan, Dr K Radhakrishnan Nair, K V Sugathan, Dr Jose Mathew, T M Varghese, P A Pauran, Dr S Udayakumar, Khadeeja Varghese, P V Yousafali, John Joseph, Dr Firoz Khan, Iyyacheri Kunhikrishnan, Sujatha Varma, Sajan Iyyachery Padmini, Vilayodi Venugopal, Puthuserry Sreenivasan, Fr Tom Kizhakkedath also attended.