People's Democracy

Toddy Business In Kerala In A Mess

Aboo Baker

AUCTIONING of toddy shops should normally be a simple administrative affair anywhere in the world. The last UDF government decided to stop auctioning and entrusted the task of running the toddy shops to the employees' cooperatives. Probably the unusual amount of auction bid was the reason for the change in the policy. The amount of auction was so large that it was crystal clear to anybody that by the sale of toddy alone the bidder would not be able to make the money he or she spent on the bid, leave alone profits. So something must have been wrong somewhere. The toddy shops would have become places where arrack the prohibited toxic would be sold. The prohibition of arrack was of course an ill-advised measure on the part of Antony government. It was just a gimmick to collect votes by winning over the sympathy of the women whose husbands had addiction for arrack. This gimmick however failed and the LDF came to power. 

Now once again the UDF is in power and there is issue of running toddy shops. Any straightforward government would have followed the policy of entrusting the task of running of the toddy shops to employees' cooperatives. But the UDF did not do that. The reasons are obvious. Everybody knows  what would transpire in the end. During the elections and just before that the abkari mafia had helped the UDF capture power. Karnataka spirit lobby was in charge of the Kerala elections. They concocted a hooch tragedy at Kalluvathukkal to discredit employees' cooperatives. The media took up the issue. However nowhere in any of the toddy shops run by the employees' cooperatives there was any hooch tragedy. Nowhere was any arrack or spirit sold. Yet instead of continuing the foolproof system the UDF nominated a committee to examine what would be the best means to run the toddy shops. The three-member committee with a majority vote decided in favour of leasing out the toddy shops to the "experienced" toddy vendors. The dissenter had favoured the running of the toddy shops by cooperatives. Hence the decision was manipulated through a democratic institution.

The Media began to make discussions on the matter. Priests and caste leaders began to rally round pro and against the proposed toddy policy. The leader of an organization given birth by no less a prophet then Sree Narayana Guru who had advised his followers " not to tap toddy, not to sell toddy, and not to drink toddy", openly declared that if the toddy shops were given to the cooperatives, it would be a betrayal of the community he represents. The committee report was kept in cold storage for a pretty long period. The UDF bandwagon believed in the delaying tactics. Meanwhile state government employees and teachers went on strike. The strike was a blessing in disguise for the abkari lobby which smuggled spirit in the state to be sold through the toddy shops. The abkari lobby hopes to make hefty profits under the new toddy policy.

The toddy business in Kerala is now in a mess. The abkaris have mobilized their resources --- money and men through out the state to get license for the toddy shops for life. The rule that only one shop would be given to one vendor could be overcome by any means. For this no great intelligence is required. Thus the monstrous liquor mafia is going to share the toddy shops of Kerala range wise. Consultations are said to have reached a fine agreement suitable to all. The interesting thing is that even the " Great IUML" which is totally against toddy or intoxicants has had a role in the talks and consultations to share the spoils of loot.