Political rancour and hard-edged partisan verbal tit-for-tats appeared to mark the Left Democratic Front (LDF) cabinet’s public outreach campaign, Navakerala Sadas, in Wayanad district on Thursday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan commenced the arguably divisive day by lambasting Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan for his “intemperate outbursts and offensive remarks”, which Mr. Vijayan said uncharitably bordered on the personal.
Mr. Vijayan seemed piqued by Mr. Satheesan’s portrayal of the Chief Minister as a “criminal who lorded over a gangster State”. He also admonished a Congress leader for “disparaging” his father.
Mr. Vijayan’s ‘defence’ of DYFI workers who ‘attacked’ Youth Congress black flag protestors in Kannur on Tuesday purportedly elicited the ‘provocative’ remarks.
“Mr. Satheesan’s tone, tenor and language have taken a turn for the worse. The Leader of the Opposition is giving to his anger at the failure of Congress’s boycott of Navakerala Sadas by attempting to belittle me,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan’s public speeches in Wayanad did little to ease the apparently strained, if not toxic, relationship between the government and the Opposition.
He suggested that Mr. Satheesan appeared isolated in the UDF for ‘denying’ opposition legislators the opportunity to hold the cabinet accountable in front of their constituents and wring assurances from the government.
Mr.Vijayan said the defiance was evident in two Congress-ruled Municipal Corporations sanctioning funds for Navakerala Sadas despite Mr.Satheesan’s boycott call.
Mr. Satheesan appeared reluctant to moderate his stance. He said Mr. Vijayan’s barefaced defence of DYFI goons had prompted the remark. “Only a criminal mind can justify a murderous attack. I will be constrained to use harsh language if Mr. Vijayan continues to defend the felons,” he said.
It seemed not to help Mr. Satheesan that the IUML disavowed belligerent protests after the Kannur violence. Moreover, no Congress leader overtly defended Mr. Satheesan’s position.
In stark contrast, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary M. V. Govindan called a press conference to condemn Mr. Satheesan. He accused Mr Satheesan of crossing the bounds of civic political discourse by doggedly denigrating Mr. Vijayan.
The polarised atmosphere seemed unlikely to abate as Navakerala Sadas enters Kozhikode district on Friday.
