Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has launched a virulent attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accusing him of providing “out of the way” support to Transport Minister Thomas Chandy after the latter was charged with encroachment by blatantly violating the Kerala Conservation of Paddy and Wetland Act.
“In fact, the Chief Minister has become a co-accused by opting to shield Mr. Chandy notwithstanding the series of charges against him for violation of the rule of the land even as Mr. Vijayan was found to be delaying the inquiry against the tainted Minister under the pretext of seeking indefinite time for initiating legal action against him,” Mr. Chennithala said.
Mr. Vijayan had given scant respect for the office of oath by failing to oust Mr. Chandy from the Cabinet, Mr. Chennithala, who is captaining the UDF’s “Padayorukkam” vehicular campaign, told a meet-the-press programme here on Thursday.
He said that Kerala, during the nearly one-and-half year tenure of the LDF dispensation, had witnessed a virtual “paralysed and inefficient” governance.
Coming down on the BJP-led government at the Centre, Mr. Chennithala said that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Vijayan were the “same pair of birds” as both the leaders were distancing themselves from the people.
Touching on the endosulfan issue, Mr. Chennithala flayed the State for showing “laxity” in addressing their issues and sought to ensure that the package recommended by the P. Prabhakaran Commission was utilised on priority basis to mitigate the trauma being led by the victims and their families.
The State should take steps to extend the moratorium for medical loans availed of by the victims’ families as they continued to face threat of attaching their properties by banks.
On day two of the yatra, Mr. Chennithala addressed public meetings at Chattamchal in Uduma Assembly segment, Kanhangad and Thrikkarippur before entering Kannur district late on Thursday evening.
