UDF to boycott LDF govt's fourth anniversary celebrations

Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, announced on Saturday that the Congress-led UDF will completely boycott the fourth anniversary celebrations of the Left government.

Speaking to reporters, Satheesan accused the government of failing on all fronts and driving the state into a debt trap, asserting that it lacks the moral authority to celebrate its anniversary.

He further criticised the LDF government for neglecting weaker sections, such as ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and for engaging in extravagance throughout 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 practising corporate capitalism.” Referring 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.

The opposition leader criticised the government for allocating ₹15 crore to hoardings featuring the chief minister as part of its fourth anniversary celebrations while neglecting the basic needs of workers in various sectors. He alleged that a caucus was controlling the Chief Minister's office and influencing the state's police force.

He further accused the ruling party of providing political patronage to the drug mafia, which he claimed has tightened its grip on the state. He urged the government to take immediate action to dismantle the drug supply chain.

“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.

The opposition has announced a complete boycott of the government's anniversary celebrations, though local body representatives will participate in events related to development programmes they were involved in. The second LDF government, led by Pinarayi Vijayan, plans to mark its fourth anniversary with district and state-level programmes from April 21 to May 23.

(inputs from PTI)