Cong leader asks why Kerala CM is escorted by 40 police vehicles; 'Who is he afraid of?'

Kerala Congress leader VD Satheesan has sparked a new political debate by claiming that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan travels in a vehicle escorted by a convoy of 40 police vehicles in wake of ongoing protests against the state government and questioned that who the CM is afraid of?

Satheesan, who is also the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Kerala Assembly on Monday said, "The Congress led United Democratic Front (UDF) is protesting in 72 panchayats on the buffer zone issue along with the agitation against the state budget, which proposed an increase in the tax on fuel prices. All the parties, students, youth, and women's organisations are in protest. The CM, who once said the UDF only knows how to hold Satyagraha, is travelling in Kerala accompanied by 40 police vehicles. Who is the CM afraid of?"

'Congress not like CPM'

Satheesan further said the UDF works to highlight people's issues and that the Congress has not taken a U-turn like the CPM as they did during their anti-computer, anti-tractor and anti-Asian Development Bank (ADB) protests. UDF MLAs and Congress' youth wing have been protesting against CPM's refusal to roll back social security cess on fuel and liquor announced in the Budget. 

The Congress MLAs took out a march against the state Budget from MLA hostel to the state Legislative Assembly, while the Congress' youth wing protested in Kochi, where clashes with police were also seen. 

This came up, after the Kerala government proposed in the state budget to raise the Social Security cess by 2 rupees per litre on the sale of liquor, petrol, and diesel, to mobilise additional revenue. With increase in cess, the state government is expecting to earn Rs 1,150 crore in revenue. The proceeds will go to the Social Security Seed Fund. 

The Congress led UDF alliance is demanding a roll back of the cess imposed on petrol and diesel, citing that this will result in price hike in the state. Congress leader Satheesan went on to term the taxes imposed by the state government as unscientific, which will derail the state economy.

On the other hand, Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal has decided to stick to its guns saying the government will not cut cess imposed on fuel and liquor. He said, Kerala government has decided to charge Rs 2 per litre at a time when the central government is taking away Rs 20 per litre on fuel prices. 

Notably, the price of petrol in Kerala is over Rs 105 and diesel over Rs 94, among the highest fuel prices in the country at present. 

Congress leader Satheesan also slammed the Kerala government over the death of a literacy prerak, who died by suicide at his home in Pathanapuram, last week, as he was upset over the delay in the release of salary. He alleged that literacy campaigners have not been paid for six months and the beneficiaries of social security pensions have not been paid for the last 14 months.