Drawing attention to the global outcry against threats to democracy and secularism in the country, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has blamed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for pursuing policies that have instilled fear psychosis among various cross-sections.
He also blamed Congress for having played a significant role in the rise of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and embracing a soft-Hindutva approach that contravened its founding ideals.
Kicking off his State-wide poll campaign with public meetings organised in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency in support of Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Pannian Ravindran on Saturday, the CPI(M) veteran leader said the country, which has for long been regarded the bedrock of democracy, has come under international scrutiny for its deteriorating state of affairs.
“Organisations including United Nations and Amnesty International, and countries like U.S.A. and Germany and even those in West Asia with which India shares friendly bilateral relations have expressed concern over several recent developments that have cast a shadow over the country’s democratic values,” he said.
He was also critical of the economic policies of the Centre which, he alleged, led to the country’s slide in the global hunger index from 55th to 107th. Unfortunately, the government’s policies are not meant for the marginalised sections, but the wealthy and affluent alone. As a result, the country has the highest number of poor in the world.
“However, Kerala presented a better alternative by ensuring the holistic development of all sections. The State’s focus for the well-being of marginalised sections is evident from its social welfare pension schemes that has been supporting nearly 60 lakh people,’ he pointed out, while faulting Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for accusing the State government of splurging money for such sections.
Mr. Vijayan also lashed out at the Congress for purportedly remaining mute spectators towards the problems faced by Kerala and the discriminatory attitude meted out by the Centre. He blamed the United Democratic Front (UDF) for failing to raise such issues in Parliament despite having 18 MPs in Lok Sabha.
The Congress, he added, is to be blamed as much as BJP for having benefited through electoral bonds. No other organisation other than the Communist parties can claim to have taken a principled stance against the tool that had legalised corruption, the Chief Minister added.
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil and senior LDF leaders also participated in the public rallies that were held in Neyyattinkara, Ambalathara and Pettah.
