On Day 4 of UDF protests over fuel, liquor cess in Kerala Assembly, House is adjourned

As soon as the Question Hour began in the morning, a group of UDF MLAs trooped into the well of the House raising slogans alleging that the proposals in the budget to impose social security cess on fuel and liquor sales were nothing but “tax looting” and urged the government to withdraw it at the earliest.

Holding placards and a banner, they stood in front of Speaker AN Shamseer’s dais and continued sloganeering.

Though the Speaker repeatedly asked them to go back to their seats, the UDF MLAs were not ready to heed him and continued with their protest.

Meanwhile, the sit-in protest in front of the Assembly by UDF MLAs Shafi Parambil, Mathew Kuzhalnadan CR Mahesh, and Najeeb Kanthapuram entered the fourth day.

Related: Kerala government refuses to roll back cess on fuel and liquor

Speaker forced to suspend session

The Speaker went ahead with the Question Hour for about 30 minutes but was forced to suspend it as the protests intensified.

Later, Shamseer hurriedly took up other businesses of the day and adjourned the House.

Leading the UDF members out of the House, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Finance Minister KN Balagopal could not see the plight of the common man or understand their feelings due to their “arrogance of power” and ego.

Satheesan urged the state government not to adopt an adamant stand on fuel price cess, claiming that the prices of petrol and diesel have put a burden on the common man.

He also said the Congress-led UDF would continue their protests till the government rolled back the cess and tax proposals imposed on the people.

Earlier in the day, the UDF MLAs marched to the Assembly to attend the session as part of the protest.

Related: Kerala government refuses to roll back cess on fuel and liquor

Cess needed for pensions

In his lengthy reply during a debate on the budget in the House on Wednesday, Balagopal justified the social security cess saying it was needed to ensure the uninterrupted distribution of monthly social security pension to 62 lakh beneficiaries in the state.

The money, collected as cess, would be going to a special seed fund for the purpose and it could only meet less than 10 percent of the total amount required for the monthly pension, he told the House.

“It is not a big tax burden to the people. It is required to provide pensions to 62 lakh people and to ensure the security of their families. Are you (the Opposition) saying that we should stop the pension scheme? ” asked Balagopal.

He also added that the cess on liquor sales and its tax had not been hiked in the past two years.

Stating that the state could not go forward without revising the tax rates, he urged the Opposition to cooperate with the government measures for the overall well-being of the people.

Will continue protest: Opposition

However, VD Satheesan said that the protest against the proposed price hikes in the state will continue untill the government roll back its decision.

“The opposition will continue its struggle against tax loot. The anti-people government will kneel down in front of the people’s movement,” Satheesan wrote on Facebook.

According to Shafi Parambil, one of the MLAs protesting in front of the Assembly, the Youth Congress conducted marches to the district collectorates across the state.

Earlier, some ruling front leaders including LDF convenor EP Jayarajan, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan, had demanded at least a partial rollback of the proposed cess.

(With inputs from PTI)