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'Continuation of power in Kerala is certain': CM Pinarayi Vijayan
The chief minister said that the plans of the Central agencies, opposition to topple his government have fallen flat.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said the opposition parties and central agencies have tried their best to discredit the state government and topple it by raking up mean controversies and concocted stories. The chief minister said that the people continued to stand by the state government. He said the continuation of power for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) was certain in the state.
While inaugurating the ruling Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) pre-poll rally, led by CPI(M) acting secretary A Vijayaraghavan, in north Kerala’s Kasaragod, the chief minister said the state has witnessed all-round development despite many natural calamities and the Covid-19 pandemic.
He listed the government’s many achievements and said the people wanted a continuation of power and their wish was quite visible in the recently-concluded local body polls. In the local body poll in December, the left had notched up a comfortable win.
“Whether it was a flood or a pandemic situation, the government stood with people and met their needs without any fail. Nobody starved during the lockdown or natural calamities. When the continuation of power was certain, opposition parties and some central agencies came up with many stories but they all fell flat,” the CM said, indirectly referring to the gold smuggling case and other corruption charges against the government.
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After the opposition raked up the contentious Sabarimala temple issue, the government has decided to not bite the bait rather focus on developmental issues. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy had written a letter to the chief minister last month, asking him to approach the Supreme Court to speed up the verdict on the contentious temple issue and withdraw its earlier affidavit that favoured entry of women of all ages to the hilltop shrine. In the letter, Chandy also said the government’s affidavit created confusion which ultimately led to the five-bench verdict in 2018 that triggered widespread unrest in the state.
Without referring to the temple issue, the CM said the state can’t live with mere controversies and slogans but it has to meet developmental aspirations of the people. “Let them rake up any issue, we are least bothered. People will realise their designs and vote for development. We are least worried because people are with us,” the CM said, adding that the Congress and the BJP have the same voice while criticising the government.
As assembly elections are just two months away, poll fever has gripped the state with a series of rallies and visits of national leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the state on Sunday to inaugurate the new plant of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation of India in Kochi. He will interact with the core committee members of the party.
An also-ran in state’s bipolar politics, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is trying its best to make its presence felt in the state. The only political gain of the BJP so far was the lone assembly seat it won in Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram in last assembly elections.
While opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala’s state-wide yatra is midway, the LDF began its rally in north Kerala’s Kasaragod on Saturday and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate BJP state president K Surendran’s ‘Vijay Yatra’ on February 21.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, also an MP from the state, will address the concluding session of Chennithala’s yatra on February 24 in the state capital.
As free food kits played an important role in recent local body elections, the Congress is planning to counter it with Rahul Gandhi's ‘Nyay’ scheme which ensures lower-income families a monthly sum of ₹6,000. Party insiders said Gandhi will campaign extensively in Kerala this time as it is the key among five states that are going to polls.
Meanwhile, a team of Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora arrived in the state and started discussions with political parties to decide o the poll date and review the state’s preparedness. The team will be in the state for two days.
