Kerala Congress (M) splits; Jose K Mani 'elected' chairman
Kottayam, Jun 16: The Kerala Congress (M), a key partner of the Congress-led UDF, suffered a split Sunday with a faction in the party electing Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani, son of its founder late K M Mani, as the Chairman.
The development capped weeks-long infighting in the party between supporters of Jose Mani and working chairman P J Joseph following the demise of K M Mani in April this year.
Jose K Mani was elected as the chairman of the party by the leaders supporting him at a meeting of the State Committee members here convened by him.
Hours ahead of the meeting, the faction led by Joseph declared it as invalid and said it was against the party Constitution.
After the meeting, 'presiding officer' K Z Kunjeriya announced to the party workers that Jose K Mani has been "elected unanimously" as chairman.
Out of 437 state committee members of the party, as many as 325 attended the meeting, the faction leaders claimed.
The Kerala Congress which has a history of splits since its inception in 1964, has a strong base in the central Travancore belt, especially among Christians.
Expressing his gratitude to the party leaders for electing him as 'chairman', Jose K Mani said "K M Mani sir is with is in our forward journey. I will work hard to follow the path shown by him."
The party would function unitedly, he said in his speech in the presence of mediapersons.
According to leaders of the Joseph faction, there are a total of 437 members in the Kerala Congress (M)s jumbostate committee.
Senior leaders of the party, including former Rajya Sabha MP Joy Abraham, MLAs C F Thomas and Mons Joseph, did not attend the meeting, sources in the Joseph faction claimed.
Out of five MLAs of the Kerala Congress (M), only two -- attended the meeting.
Jose K Mani's followers said KC(M)'s Idukki MLA Roshy Augustine and Kanjirappally MLA N Jayaraj and lone Lok Sabha MP of the party, Thomas Chazhikadan, were the prominent leaders who attended the meeting.
Trouble had been brewing in the party following the demise of K M Mani.
Partys Organisational General Secretary Joy Abrahams letter to Chief Election Officer Teeka Ram Meena declaring Joseph asKC(M) chairman after the veteran's death had been opposed by the faction headed by Jose K Mani.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
ALSO READ: BJP accuses Karnataka govt of 'failing' to prevent noise pollution caused by 'azaan'
He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
