Blaming the State government for its alleged failure in mitigating the agrarian distress in Kerala, the Opposition on Saturday accused the administrative dispensation for its purported misgovernance that paved the way for the death of a farmer in Alappuzha.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan faulted the government for the various drawbacks that have affected paddy procurement in the State. Many farmers continue to await payment several months after paddy had been procured, he told mediapersons in Kochi.
Amid the existing financial crisis, the government has been providing loans to farmers as payments through banks and defaults in their repayment tend to adversely affect the CIBIL scores of the respective farmers. A considerable fall in the score will ultimately impact their chances of obtaining further loans, thereby pushing farmers into dire straits, the Congress leader said, while alleging that the deceased farmer K.G. Prasad was a victim of government failure.
He termed the government’s mass contact programme a political programme to further the interests of the CPI (M) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF). While the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues are well within their rights to campaign for elections, it cannot be done at the expense of the government.
Accusing the LDF of coercing bureaucrats to extort funds for the programme, Mr. Satheesan said local bodies ruled by the United Democratic Front (UDF) will not extend support to such unnecessary pursuits.
In a statement, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran said the government would have been able to support several farmers like Prasad if it had chosen to redirect the allocated funds for the Keraleeeyam festival to mitigate problems faced by the farming community.
He also accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government of ignoring the plight of Kudumbasree workers who awaited compensation for subsidised food provided through Janakeeya Hotels. Besides, cooperative societies are being misused to derive funds for the mass contact programme, he alleged.
