All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal, MP, on Monday justified the United Democratic Front’s decision to boycott the State government’s mass contact programme.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the family members of paddy farmer K.R. Rajappan (88) who ended his life last week following an inordinate delay in getting payment for the paddy procured from him during the ‘puncha’ (first) crop season at Vandanam near Ambalapuzha, Mr. Venugopal termed the government’s new outreach initiative a gimmick with an eye on 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress leader alleged the government had failed to address the needs of the people and was only implementing their own agenda. “The Left Democratic Front government is not ready to distribute paddy procurement price to farmers. It shows little consideration for ryots. On the other hand, the government is splurging money on renting helicopter and other things,” he said.
Mr. Venugopal criticised the government for destroying the credibility of the cooperative sector in the State. He said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary M.V. Govindan were justifying those involved in the Karuvannur bank scam and others damaging the reputation of the cooperative movement.
The AICC general secretary also visited the house of fisherman Jibin Alexander (30) at Mararikulam South who went missing in the sea off Kattor on Monday morning. Mr. Venugopal urged District Collector Haritha V. Kumar to initiate urgent measures to find the fisherman.
District Congress Committee president B. Babu Prasad, Congress leaders K.P. Sreekumar, M.J. Job, M. Liju, Johnson Abraham, and D. Sugathan accompanied him.
