Sharpening the attack against the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday there was only one ‘Kerala story’ in the State. It is the story of the fight of Kerala to achieve its rights and improve the living standards of the people in the State.
Around 64,000 people in the State were found to have been in poverty in categories such as aged, sick, and destitute. By 2025 November 1, Kerala would be the first State in the country to be free of poverty through sustained and coordinated efforts, said Mr. Vijayan.
He was speaking after inaugurating the Left Democratic Front (LDF) election meetings at various parts of the Attingal constituency on Thursday as part of the electioneering of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] candidate V. Joy.
Criticising the Congress, the Chief Minister said in 2019, the Congress had unleashed a campaign that no major fronts at Centre would get an absolute majority after the elections. In such a scenario, the Congress would be invited to form a government only if it emerged as the single largest party in the polls.
So, the party has to win the maximum number of seats. It was upon this campaign that the United Democratic Front (UDF) won 18 seats in the State. However, the MPs failed to deliver in terms of raising the issues of Kerala and they have also worked against the State when the Centre discriminated against the State by not providing the rightful share of resources Kerala deserves, he said. The MPs were not ready to sign the plea of the State when it raised the issue before the Centre. The State received a reprieve only after the intervention of the Supreme Court, said the Chief Minister.
He also reiterated his accusation that when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to isolate the Muslims in the country by amending the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the grand old party continued its silence sharing the views of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. Though the Congress initially joined the Left front to oppose the CAA, it withdrew support for the cause following the directions of its national leadership. Even as various countries, including the USA and the United Nations, opposed the CAA, the Congress was reluctant to oppose the Sangh Parivar agenda of the ruling government, he said.
The grand old party also continued its silence whenever the leaders of other parties were politically hunted by the Central agencies like Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax department and other agencies. The party broke its silence only when its leaders were targeted, he alleged. He also cited the instances of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac. Further, the Congress was even challenging why Mr. Isaac was not being arrested by the ED in connection with the KIIFB masala bond issue, he said.
