The United Democratic Front (UDF) on Thursday criticised the State government for its failure to campaign for bringing petroleum products under the purview of Goods and Service Tax (GST) slabs, besides foregoing the income from the higher tax rates in order to arrest the continuing exorbitant rise in prices of essential articles and vegetables even after the Onam season.
A resolution passed by the high-power committee of the UDF here criticised the Narendra Modi government for the gradual rise in petroleum prices. It alleged that petroleum prices were deliberately not included in the GST regime because of the additional revenue of ₹2.5 lakh crore it would fetch the Centre and ₹6,500 crore for the State annually. “Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac was the frontline advocate for GST. While the people of the State are facing a lot of hardship because of the rising petroleum prices, the State government is overjoyed by it,” said Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala. He wanted the LDF government to forego the tax on the additional income from the hike.
“The LDF government has proclaimed a development holiday as no new projects had been launched in the last 16 months it has been in power. The development projects initiated by the UDF are moving at a snail’s pace,” he alleged.
The UDF, he said, had decided to support local agitations currently on against the State government’s move to hand over Halcyon Castle to a private hotel, against Transport Minister Thomas Chandy’s encroachment of government land and against P.V. Anvar, CPI(M) legislator who had established an amusement park violating environment laws.
Sabarimala airport
The UDF wanted the government to clarify the actual status of the ownership for the land identified for setting up the Sabarimala airport. Referring to the dispute over the ownership of the land, Mr. Chennithala warned that the UDF would strongly react to the move to regularise land that was in the illegal possession of corporate bodies such as Harrisons Malayalam.
