Communist Party of India (Marxist) State unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the pre-poll surveys, results of which were making headlines in the media, have lost their credibility.
Addressing the media during an election-related interaction programme, ‘Dilli Chalo,’ organised by the Press Club here on Wednesday, Mr. Vijayan termed the organisers of such surveys as the ‘Corporate Karsevaks’ (servants to corporates). “They are not in touch with the realities,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan, who said that such surveys were concocting results to satisfy those who funded them, said that people wouldn’t take such publicity stunt seriously as the surveys had lost all credibility. “Otherwise how certain surveys can predict a victory for the United Democratic Front when its candidates were struggling on the campaign front,” asked the CPI (M) leader.
Favourable conditionMaintaining that everything was going well with the Left Democratic Front in the State at the moment, the CPI(M) State unit secretary said that Leader of the Opposition and party veteran V.S. Achuthanandan was spared from campaigning in every the constituency in the State considering his age. “However, he has started campaigning in the southern districts and will cover as much as he can,” he said.
Responding to Union Defence Minister and senior Congress leader A.K. Antony’s comment on the refusal of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the conspiracy into the murder of RMP leader T.P. Chandrasekharan, Mr. Vijayan said that it only showed that the Congress was in a position to influence the CBI to force it to take up the case if the party wanted so in future. Responding to CBI’s refusal to take up the case, Mr. Antony had said that it was “too early” for the CPI(M) to celebrate. Claiming that no particular community or political factor was against the CPI(M) or the LDF this time, Mr. Vijayan said that the people of the State were tired of the UDF government and they would register their discontentment against it in the election. “Not a single Congress candidate is going to win the election this time,” he said.
Ghats issueAsked why a political party like the CPI(M) completely ignored the voice of progressive science movements such as the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) while taking a decision on the Western Ghats protection, Mr. Vijayan said that the CPI(M) could not support any stance that didn’t consider the people who were affected.
Criticising the UDF and Congress leaders for making the alleged involvement of the CPI(M) in the murder of RMP leader Chandrasekharan a poll issue, he said that it (the murder) was still a big news only for the media and not for the people. “There are more important things concerning the people for us to discuss when the country is going to the poll,” he said.