Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday questioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s claim about the performance of his Ministry, during the first anniversary of the LDF government, terming it a year that witnessed administrative paralysis, inefficient governance, and loss of collective responsibility of his Cabinet.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Chennithala picked on the differences between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its alliance partner Communist Party of India over a horde of issues ever since the LDF Ministry assumed power.
“The government’s functioning is marked by arrogance, authoritarianism and highhandedness. Mr. Vijayan’s Cabinet is perhaps the only one after the formation of Kerala to conceal crucial decisions from the public,” he said.
Releasing a 65-point ‘chargesheet’ against the Pinarayi government, Mr. Chennithala said the few projects Mr. Vijayan claimed as his government’s achievements were actually launched during the previous UDF rule.
‘Continuing projects’
This included the Vizhinjam Container Terminal, the Kochi Metro and the Kannur airport. As for National Highways, these were continuing projects. The four mission mode projects such as Haritha Keralam had failed to take off The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Financial Board was being touted as a panacea for all problems of the State, he said.
He said within 144 days, the Chief Minister’s number two in the Cabinet E.P. Jayarajan had to resign over charges of nepotism. Kerala Congress (B) leader R. Balakrishna Pillai was hounded throughout his political career for corruption charges by veteran V.S. Achuthanandan, but he has now been made chairman of the Forward Caste Corporation with Cabinet rank.
The LDF came to power running a campaign for women and child safety, but the government had failed to take forward the against former Minister A.K. Saseendran. The State had witnessed 350 murders in the last one year, of which 18 were political murders.
