Thiruvananthapuram | The row over the UDF government's proposal to reduce taxes on low-alcohol beverages intensified on Sunday.

CPI(M) leader K T Jaleel targeted the IUML over its alleged silence, while veteran Congress leader V M Sudheeran urged Chief Minister V D Satheesan to withdraw the budget announcement.

LSGD Minister K M Shaji, meanwhile, defended the UDF government's liquor policy and reiterated the IUML's opposition to alcohol.

Putting pressure on the Congress-led administration, Sudheeran sent a letter to the chief minister demanding immediate withdrawal of the proposal, contending that it was contrary to the UDF's election manifesto commitment to curb the spread of alcohol and narcotic substances.

In a satirical Facebook post, Jaleel mocked the budget proposal, saying the UDF government had reduced taxes on low-intensity alcoholic beverages, allowing people to consume such liquor more freely.

He alleged that the move was a return favour for the crores of rupees that had allegedly flowed from Karnataka to UDF candidates during elections.

Jaleel took a swipe at religious organisations and leaders, claiming that none had raised objections to the proposal despite routinely speaking on social issues.

"Neither any religious organisation nor any religious leader has raised a complaint over the issue," he said.

He alleged that religious leaders often competed with each other in defending and justifying the alleged wrongdoings and corruption of the UDF.

In his post, Jaleel questioned the silence of Indian Union Muslim League legislators, asking why none of the party's 22 MLAs had opposed the proposal in the Assembly.

"What a pity! This silence will be written in golden letters in the history of the Muslim League," he said in the Facebook post, which carried a photo of IUML supremo Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal.

Attacking the IUML, he further said in the satirical post, "Low-alcohol liquor at a reduced price is ready! What more does the community and the state need to be proud of? Rejoice, minorities!"

Reacting to the row, Shaji said the UDF's policy was aimed at reducing liquor consumption in the state and reiterated the IUML's long-standing opposition to alcohol.

"We have a clear stand that liquor should not be consumed. The IUML is against alcohol. The Congress, the party of Mahatma Gandhi, is also against liquor. Both parties are opposed to alcohol," he told reporters.

He, however, accused the previous LDF government of contributing to increased alcohol consumption in Kerala and questioned how many liquor outlets had been opened during its tenure.

Sudheeran, a former KPCC president, shared a copy of his letter to the chief minister on Facebook.

In the letter, he said the budget proposal was contrary to the UDF's election manifesto promise of implementing strong and effective policies to curb the spread of alcohol and narcotic substances in Kerala.

He alleged that the proposal encouraged liquor consumption, went against the spirit of the manifesto and amounted to a breach of the commitment made to the people.

Citing the World Health Organisation's position that no level of alcohol consumption is safe, Sudheeran urged the government to withdraw the proposal and not proceed with it under any circumstances.

Interestingly, Sudheeran, a long-standing advocate of stricter liquor controls, had earlier locked horns with the Oommen Chandy-led UDF government over liquor policy, with his push for tighter controls culminating in the 2014 decision to close 418 bars across the state as part of an anti-liquor drive.

The present controversy erupted after the UDF government's maiden budget proposed a reduction in taxes on low-alcohol beverages, drawing strong criticism from the opposition CPI(M), which alleged that the move was intended to benefit liquor companies and could open the door to corruption.

Rejecting the allegations, Excise Minister M Liju said the government had not taken any decision to introduce low-alcohol beverages in the state and that the budget announcement related only to taxation.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also defended the budget proposal, saying the UDF government had not permitted any new bars since assuming office and insisting that its policy was aimed at gradually reducing alcohol consumption and availability in the state.

Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, however, termed the tax concession "highly suspicious" and alleged that liquor companies' commercial interests were behind the move.

Vijayan said making alcohol cheaper would lead to higher consumption, especially among youngsters, and questioned why the government was cutting taxes on liquor instead of addressing people's livelihood concerns.