(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
Sit-in protest at the entrance of the state Assembly, being carried out by four Congress-UDF entered the second day.
Sit in protest at the Kerala Assembly by Congress MLAs. (vdsatheesanparavur/Facebook)
Protest marches taken out by the Opposition Congress activists against the Kerala government’s budget proposal to impose fuel cess turned violent in many places, forcing police to use water cannons and teargas shells to disperse agitators.
A large number of party workers, under the aegis of District Congress Committees, marched to the Collectorate in 13 districts seeking the rollback of the proposal to impose a ‘social security cess’ on the sale of petrol and diesel.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the march was taken out to the Secretariat, the administrative hub.
Angry protesters raised slogans against the Left government and tried to jump the barricade in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kottayam, following which the police had to use water cannons. Party workers pushed down police barricades in the Kollam district.
Agitators allegedly pelted stones and plastic water bottles at the police in many places during minor scuffles.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly VD Satheesan who inaugurated the march in the state capital rejected the government’s argument that the cess is imposed to ensure uninterrupted distribution of monthly social security pensions of the weaker sections in the state.
Today, @INCKerala organised a protest against the huge Adani scam & PM Modi's utter silence over these serious allegations.
The leaders demanded a probe by a JPC & a through discussion in the Parliament.#ModiMuteAdaniLoot pic.twitter.com/HLDmoe1tOY— Congress (@INCIndia) February 6, 2023
“Giving pension and salary is the responsibility of a government…and common people cannot be burdened to find ways for that. It is nothing but tax terrorism and looting of commoners,” he said addressing the party workers.
Later in the Assembly, Satheesan said the budget, presented by Finance Minister KN Balagopal last week, was the “worst budget” in the history of the southern state.
Stating that the budget turned out to be another disaster like the Covid-19 pandemic and the deluge which had fallen upon people of the state, he also said an additional liability of ₹4,000 crore has been imposed upon them by the government through this.
Unscientific tax proposals would derail the state’s economy and affect the lives of common people, the LoP added.
Meanwhile, the sit-in protest at the entrance of the state Assembly, being carried out by four Congress-UDF MLAs Shafi Parambil, Mathew Kuzhalnadan, Najeeb Kanthapuram and CR Mahesh entered the second day.
സാധാരണക്കാരുടെ കഴുത്തറുക്കുന്ന ഇന്ധന സെസ്സിനും നികുതിക്കൊള്ളയ്ക്കുമെതിരെ എംഎൽഎമാരായ ഷാഫി പറമ്പിൽ, മാത്യു കുഴൽനാടൻ, സി.ആർ.മഹേഷ്, നജീബ് കാന്തപുരം എന്നിവർ നിയമസഭാ കവാടത്തിൽ നടത്തുന്ന സത്യഗ്രഹം രണ്ടു ദിവസം പിന്നിടുന്നു.
നികുതിക്കൊള്ള അവസാനിപ്പിക്കുക! സർക്കാർ നീതി പാലിക്കുക! pic.twitter.com/rHIdmG6oqT
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) February 7, 2023
Presenting the budget, the finance minister had said on Friday it was proposed to levy a Social Security Cess on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and on the sale of petrol and diesel as the commitment to continue protecting the decent lives of vulnerable sections of society.
The budget has proposed a Social Security Cess on the sale of petrol and diesel at the rate of ₹2 per litre.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
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