Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan in his reply on Thursday to veteran Congress functionary V M Sudheeran’s remarks on beach sand mining said that it was successive Congress-led govts that supported private mining in Kerala while the LDF consistently opposed it.In a Facebook post, Vijayan said Sudheeran’s statement that the LDF govt had created opportunities for private beach sand mining in Kerala was “contrary to facts”. He said Sudheeran made the remarks while strongly criticising the present UDF govt’s beach sand mining policy.Earlier in the day, Sudheeran raised concerns over the UDF-led state govt’s mineral sand mining policy, alleging ambiguity in the chief minister’s response in the assembly. He demanded that the govt categorically declare that no mining activities would be permitted along Alappuzha coast.“Mining should not be permitted irrespective of whether it is carried out by private mineral sand operators or Kartha or the Adani Group. The previous govt had maintained that mineral sand mining would be confined to the public sector. However, the situation later changed, allowing private entities to engage in mining activities,” he said.Vijayan claimed that the former Union govt led by Congress had first granted the private sector the authority to undertake beach sand mining and that the A K Antony and Oommen Chandy-led UDF govts in Kerala between 2001 and 2006 subsequently permitted the privatisation of the sector. He alleged that the UDF govt attempted to push ahead with private mining despite strong public protests following the 2004 tsunami.He said that after the LDF assumed office in 2006, it adopted a firm stand against private beach sand mining. Vijayan said mining companies appealed to the Union ministry of mines against the state’s decision and the then Congress-led Union govt supported the mining lobby. However, he claimed that the LDF govt refused to permit private mining, forcing the companies to approach the Kerala High Court.Vijayan alleged that when the UDF returned to power in 2011, it deliberately adopted a weak approach in defending the case filed by the companies.The opposition leader claimed that after returning to power in 2016, the LDF govt did not permit private beach sand mining anywhere in Kerala until 2026. He said the LDF maintained an uncompromising stand against the beach sand mining lobby over the past 10 years and instead proposed a public sector-based rare earth corridor. He alleged that the UDF govt’s proposal for a ‘Rare Earth Critical Mineral Corridor’ in the state budget was aimed at promoting privatisation in line with the Centre’s policy and served the interests of the beach sand mining lobby.He also alleged that UDF govts consistently supported the beach sand mining lobby and recalled that Sudheeran himself earlier criticised UDF govts on the issue. Pinarayi said Sudheeran’s latest remarks appeared to be an attempt to balance his criticism of the present UDF govt and were contrary to the historical record.
