Kozhikode | KPCC president K Sudhakaran withdrew the tax boycott announcement without consultation.
This retreat is an indication of the strength of the protests announced outside the assembly against the budget announcements. Thalayural explained that the declaration of non-payment of taxes was meant to mock Pinarayi’s previous declaration. Sudhakaran said that he had not communicated with the opposition leader before the announcement of not paying taxes and if the government did not correct it, he would have to deliberate and decide on the boycott.
VD Satheesan had responded that he was not aware of such a decision even when Sudhakaran announced in Delhi that he would not pay taxes. This is followed by Sudhakaran’s U-turn. Sudhakaran said the other day that the Congress is asking the people not to pay additional taxes. Sudhakaran said that the Congress will protect it if action is taken.
UDF constituent parties including Muslim League were not aware of the tax boycott decision. Sudhakaran’s announcement created confusion in the Congress and the Front. The question was also raised whether the party workers would accept the KPCC president’s call not to pay taxes.
The future of the tax boycott call by K Sudhakaran without consultation with the party or the front was hanging in the balance as the Kerala Revenue Recovery Act, 1968 and the rules thereon empowered the government to treat the amount due to the government as tax or otherwise on time, and treat it as arrears with interest from the date of arrears.
With this retreat from the fierce struggle against the government, the future of other struggles is also uncertain. The MLAs ended the Satyagraha by announcing that the UDF protest against the increase in taxes including fuel cess will be outside the Legislative Assembly.
The opposition announced that they are going to the streets with a strike after the assembly proceedings were cut short. It was also announced that the UDF constituent parties will organize protest programs on their own. The opposition went on strike after rejecting Finance Minister KN Balagopal’s request that the opposition withdraw from the equation keeping in mind the public interest of Kerala.
Leading media also said that the introduction of fuel cess of two rupees was a strategy of the government to settle the strike by reducing the fuel cess by one rupee when the opposition protested. It was also alleged that the UDF went on strike after the sentiment raised by the media.
With the government’s announcement that the Rs 2 fuel cess was imposed to pay welfare pensions, there was no strong public sentiment against the cess. With this, the UDF is in a dilemma as to how to take the strike forward.
