KOCHI: A day after UDF candidate Uma Thomas won by a record margin in the Thrikkakara bypoll, opposition leader V D Satheeshan said she received votes from all parties, including CPM. "The victory will give a fresh impetus to the UDF," he said on Saturday.
"We are moving towards making Congress a semi-cadre party. It should not bec merely a mob. We are aiming to bring the party and UDF back to power. I will fight for it from the front," he said.
Satheeshan said Congress will expose the "real facts" behind the progress report released by the LDF government as many projects mentioned in it have not been implemented. "The chief minister and the ministers are spreading propaganda. The opposition will oppose anti-people projects like SilverLine. We will also support good projects," he said, adding that the way the government is dealing with communal forces is making them more powerful.
The government must confront all communal forces. UDF will be at the forefront in fighting the growth of communalism. The Thrikkakara verdict is also a recognition of it, he said.
Satheeshan said the government should reveal the truth behind the fake video against the LDF candidate in Thrikkakara. He also refuted the allegation that former Congress leader KV Thomas was racially abused by Congress workers. "It was the CPM that first called him "Thirutha Thomas," he said.
Uma visits PT's grave
Meanwhile, Uma Thomas, accompanied by her children Vishnu Thomas and Vivek Thomas and Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose, visited her husband P T Thomas's native place at Upputhode in Idukki on Saturday. After attending prayers at St Joseph's Church, she visited the cemetery where PT's ashes were interred at his mother's tomb.
Uma also visited Idukki bishop John Nellikkunnel. "I visited the church to dedicate my victory to P T Thomas. My victory was a slap to the state government," she said. Uma said PT's differences with former Idukki bishop Mathew Anikkuzhikkattil was only "opinion-based".
