As the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala celebrated its second anniversary of its second consecutive term on Saturday, Congress-led Opposition UDF laid siege to the secretariat here.

The UDF was protesting against the government’s various ‘anti-people’ decisions like hike in cess and taxes on fuel and building permits, corruption, financial crisis and agricultural issues.

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Normal functioning of secretariat, the seat of power of the state government, was disrupted with thousands of UDF workers, including women, protesting against the alleged misrule of the Pinarayi Vijayan government.

UDF workers staged protests in front of the three gates of the secretariat from 7 am. Following this, activists from Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Idukki reached the protest venue to join the protest.

During the siege, the UDF also placed before the people a ‘charge sheet’, explaining various instances of corruption, nepotism and anti-people policies of the Pinarayi Vijayan Government.

It may be noted that the UDF has submitted a chargesheet against the government before the public when LDF is all set to release its progress report of governance.

The chargesheet, a 20-page document, compiles all the allegations levelled against the state government. The issues raised in the document include corruption in the AI camera and K-FON deals,rampant tax hike, agrarian crisis, Life Mission scam, Brahmapuram fire, failure of police, price rise, back door appointments and so on.

Senior UDF leaders and MLAs took part in the protest along with the ordinary party workers. KPCC president K Sudhakaran, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, UDF Convenor M M Hassan and Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty were among those who took part in the siege.

The UDF also pitched for their demands like immediate action to control price rise, inflation, clear pension dues, withdrawal of increased taxes, announce minimum support price for agricultural products, payment of crop insurance dues, payment of salary dues to KSRTC employees, judicial inquiry into the alleged AI camera corruption, and investigation into the K-FON scam.

Addressing the protesting workers, Opposition leader VD Satheesan said the LDF government is implementing tax terrorism in Kerala.The government has been giving additional burden to the public by increasing the tax rate. An ordinary family has to spend an additional expense of Rs 4000 per year due to tax hike. No other government has tortured the public so much in  the history of  Kerala, he said.

In his reaction to the development, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the LDF Government is completing two years focusing on human development and development projects. The development perspective of this government and the social progress achieved by Kerala is the real story of Kerala, he said in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, the BJP observed the second anniversary of the Pinarayi government as black day. The saffron party has organised a day and night protest at the martyr’s column at Palayam on Saturday against the “anti- people policies”of the LDF government. People are struggling to find their day-to-day subsistence as the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Government enters its eighth year, BJP Kerala chief  K Surendran said.