KOCHI: Is Kerala heading for a period of total prohibition? Are the long queues outside the alcoholic beverage outlets going to be a thing of the past?Congressmen who had taken a stand against the reopening of the 418 liquor bars have carried forward their anti-liquor rhetoric to argue that the time is ripe for total prohibition.In Kochi, KPCC president V M Sudheeran said he is happy that the discussion on liquor is now revolving around the idea of total prohibition. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Kerala Congress (M) leader K M Mani have supported Sudheeran by arguing for the introduction of prohibition in stages. The parties have also stated that the 418 liquor bars should not be opened. Mani, who is also finance minister, said in Delhi that he supported Sudheeran. "We are also for total prohibition. But it should be introduced in phases," he said. Mani had earlier stated that sub-standard bars should not be opened.He later clarified that his stand was that the 418 bars should not be opened.An editorial article in ‘Chandrika’ daily, the IUML mouthpiece, said the 418 bars should be closed down. "Total prohibition may not be possible immediately. But the availability of liquor can be reduced in a phased manner," the editorial said. IUML leader ET Mohammed Basheer said the Chandrika editorial was his party’s view too. The discussion on total prohibition started when Congress leader M M Hassan, who had earlier supported chief minister Oommen Chandy’s policy of opening bars that have upgraded their facilities, said on Wednesday total prohibition was a better option."Since the Muslim League and the Kerala Congress have put forward their views strongly, it is the right time for considering total prohibition," he said.