‘Has taken refuge in imaginary feud in Congress’: Opposition Leader V.D. Satheeshan challenges excise minister on allegations over brewery

Kerala's Leader of Opposition challenges State excise minister on corruption allegations regarding brewery permission in Palakkad.

Kerala’s Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheeshan has challenged State Excise Minister M.B. Rajesh to respond to the corruption allegations levelled by the opposition against the permission granted to a company for setting up a brewery in Palakkad.

He asked him to respond rather than fall back on diversionary tactics like the imaginary feud in the Congress between him and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala.

Talking to reporters at the Kochi airport here on Saturday (January 18, 2025), Mr. Satheeshan sought to know why the company involved in the Delhi excise policy corruption case and whose owner was arrested in that connection was chosen for the proposed brewery.

“The company had polluted the groundwater within the four km radius of a brewery they had started in Punjab by fleshing out their industrial waste to the groundwater table using a borewell. This validated both our allegations; of corruption and water pollution,” Mr. Satheeshan said.

“The excise minister instead of responding to these allegations has taken refuge in the allegation that there was a turf war on in the Congress between me and Ramesh Chennithala. There is no such dispute between us,” he said.

“The minister is now hanging on to clause 24 of the excise policy, which is about giving permission to the manufacture of extra neutral alcohol. In this case, the permission has also been granted to an ethanol plant, distillation unit, IMFL bottling unit, brewery, wine unit, brandy unit, and spirit unit. So, the permission granted is not within the ambit of clause 24. The minister is lying through his teeth. No other company in the sector across the country was aware of such an arrangement about which only the excise minister, a handful of officials and the chief minister was privy to,” he added.

“Besides, 26 acres have been allotted to the company in Kanjikode panchayat in the guise of starting a college. The conspiracy between the company and the government dates back two years,” he said.