Opposition UDF in Kerala to boycott LDF govt's fourth anniversary celebrations

Thiruvananthapuram | The Congress-led opposition UDF will totally boycott the fourth anniversary celebrations of the Left government in Kerala, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said on Saturday.

Addressing reporters, Satheesan alleged that the government, which had "failed" on all fronts and pushed the state into a debt trap, does not have the moral right to celebrate its anniversary.

He charged the LDF government with "totally ignoring" the weaker sections, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers and indulging in "extravagance" throughout its four-year rule in its second term.

The government had destroyed welfare fund boards set up with the contributions of employees and was denying pensions and other benefits to them. All welfare schemes of the government had been stalled, he alleged.

The government’s ineptitude and splurge had pushed the state into a Rs 6 lakh crore debt trap, Satheesan said.

“The Left Front ministers are ridiculing the struggles of ASHA and Anganwadi workers and legitimate protests. The Left rulers are now on the extreme right and practicing corporate capitalism.”

Referrring to the issue of man-animal conflict, he said the government could not tackle it in various parts of the state where 18 people were killed in wild elephant attacks in the last four months.

“There is corruption and wastefulness in all sectors. There is a vacuum in governance,” Satheesan alleged.

He said as part of the fourth anniversary celebrations, the government is spending Rs 15 crore for putting up hoardings with the picture of the Chief Minister alone, while the basic demands of workers in several areas are not being met.

The opposition leader alleged that a caucus was managing the functioning of the Chief Minister’s office, which was controlling the police force in the state.

He said the state has been gripped by the drug mafia only due to the political patronage given to them by the main ruling party. The government should take immediate steps to cut the supply chain of drugs, he said.

“Creating awareness about drug use is not the job of the Excise and police departments. They should concentrate on enforcement and create a scare among the drug mafia,” he said, adding there are several agencies and political parties to carry out awareness programmes.

While the opposition will boycott all the programmes of the government’s anniversary celebrations, he said local body representatives will be attending functions in connection with development programmes in which they were involved.

The second LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan is set to celebrate its fourth anniversary from April 21 to May 23, with district and state-level programmes.