Defence Minister A.K. Antony has described V.S. Achuthanandan as a “grumbling Chief Minister.”
Addressing an election campaign meeting of the UDF in Ollur on Tuesday, Mr. Antony said the people of the State were tired of the Chief Minister's grumbles, conflicts between him and the CPI(M) State secretary, and fights between Ministers.
“The Chief Minister complains that the party State secretary did not permit him to exercise his authority. If so, he should call it a day. Why should he seek a new mandate? Does he believe that if he gets another term, the party State secretary will allow him the freedom to function properly? All that you see in the LDF camp is pure drama. Mr. Achuthanandan is trying to foist the administrative failures of the Cabinet on the party,” he said.
Mr. Antony said that the Chief Minister spoke in the language of the Opposition throughout his term. The Defence Minister stated that if the UDF was elected to power immediate measures would be taken to accelerate development and restore law and order.
Addressing a meeting at Puthukkad, he called upon the members of the Congress to streamline the party's election campaign. “There is a pro-UDF wave in the State. But this should not make Congress workers lazy about election-related work. The LDF had started its campaign early. The UDF should counter this with effective house-to-house campaign,” he said.
