Listing out the LDF Government’s achievements over the past three years and the welfare measures it has launched, CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan kicked off the LDF electioneering in the Ernakulam constituency on Tuesday.
Mr. Vijayan also introduced to the large audience that turned up for the election convention the LDF’s last-minute surprise choice for the Ernakulam constituency, P.N. Sinulal, whom he projected as an ideal social worker. An array of LDF bigwigs, including four Ministers, attended the election convention. Mr. Vijayan claimed that putting an end to farmers’ suicide, which he said had been rampant during the previous UDF regime, was one of the major achievements of the LDF Government. This the government could achieve because of the short-term and long-term steps it had taken to address farmers’ woes.
The law for farmers’ debt relief and the Rs. 50,000 ex gratia given to the families of the farmers who had committed suicide had helped.
“The Government could take effective steps to end farmers’ suicide as it has an accurate sense of direction,” he said.
He noted that during the LDF rule, the State pubic-sector undertakings had come out of the red and this financial year, they had made a surplus of Rs. 169 crore which, he said, was an outstanding achievement in a culture of PSUs remaining in the woods for years together.
The LDF Government could stall the process of selling off loss-making government enterprises.
Mr. Vijayan, without mentioning Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan or any other minister by name, praised the State’s recent performance on the law and order front and made repeated references to the awards won by Kerala for being the best performer on many counts. He praised the EMS housing scheme which would provide houses to half a million poor people and said the scheme would boost the self-confidence and self-esteem of the homeless.
He equated the scheme with the land reform measures launched by the EMS government.
CPI assistant secretary K.E. Ismail, the Ministers Kadannappally Ramachandran, N.K. Premachandran, S. Sarma and Jose Thettayil were among those attended the election convention.
