A Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)] rally held on Friday as part of the Mahasammelan, which is expected to be the beginning of the long road back to coalition politics of the State for the party, made no declaration as to where it was heading for but signalled that the party was still sulking over the “backstabbing” it received from “those who were walking along with it” in the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Party leaders wanted those in power in the State and Centre to be more vigilant when it came to issues concerning the farming community.
Inaugurating the rally, party chairman K.M. Mani said the party could hold on its own and establish its identity on account of the philosophy of the toiling class it had adhered to. “It was based on this philosophy that the party could take up the various issues concerning the farmer during the past,” he said.
There was a time when the toiling class was dubbed by other political parties as “kayal rajas, plantation owners, and encroachers.’’ Now they accept them as contributors to the State’s well being, he said.
Mr. Mani said various trade agreements had put the interest of the farmer in peril. However, the State and Central governments had not done enough to alleviate the resultant crisis. According to him, the “ache din’ promised by the Prime Minister had not arrived so far.
Instead, the demonetisation and introduction of GST without proper planning had put the economy in mess. He said the State government was not doing enough to alleviate the problems faced by the farmers and said he had nothing personal against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
'Different from other parties'
P.J. Joseph, working president, said the slogans taken up by the Kerala Congress were always different right from its inception and these were taken up by other parties later.
According to him, the present State government had not initiated any new programmes but was following those initiated by the former government.
Jose K. Mani, vice chairman, said the party was backstabbed by friends when it was part of the UDF. “It was part of a strategy of hitting the shepherd to scatter the flock, but it did not succeed,’’ he said.
Deputy chairman C.F. Thomas, Joy Abraham, MP, and others spoke.
