Roll back liquor tax cut, mineral sand mining move: VM Sudheeran writes to Kerala CM VD Satheesan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran has strongly opposed two key proposals introduced in the recently presented state budget, urging Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to withdraw them immediately.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, the veteran leader took sharp exception to the government's decision to slash taxes on low-alcohol beverages and open up the mineral sand mining sector to private investment.
Sudheeran contended that lowering the tax on low-strength liquor directly contradicts the anti-liquor stance promised in the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) election manifesto. Terming the budget announcement a breach of faith with the public, he argued that the move severely compromises the alliance's commitments to the electorate.
The former KPCC president also raised red flags over the proposal to permit private capital in mineral sand mining, stating that it has triggered widespread anxiety among the coastal communities in Alappuzha. He warned that such a step would devastate the fragile coastal ecology and jeopardise the livelihoods of local residents.
Urging the UDF government to step back from these "anti-people" measures, Sudheeran noted that the public has pinned high expectations on the current administration. He emphasised that the government must not take any steps that effectively surrender the Alappuzha coast to corporate interests and "black sand barons."