The simmering public resentment towards the crisis in the State’s farm sector and the shooting price of essential commodities due to the United Democratic Front Government’s alleged ineptitude to contain the same through effective market intervention as done by the previous Government led by Left Democratic Front will be reflected in the Piravom Assembly by-elections, says Communist Party of India State secretary, C.K.Chandrappan.
Talking to The Hindu at Kozhencherry on Sunday, the CPI leader said the forthcoming Piravom bypoll would be a litmus test for the UDF and its Government led by Oommen Chandy. He said the late T.M.Jacob had won this basically agrarian constituency of Piravom by a slender margin of 157 votes. The growing crisis in the State’s farm sector coupled with the suicides of debt-ridden peasants in different parts of the State would surely be negative factors affecting the UDF prospects in the by-poll, he said.
Mr Chandrappan said a Bishop belonging to the Jacobite faction had first announced the candidature of Mr Anoop Jacob, son of the late T.M. Jacob, in Piravom much before the party’s announcement in this regard, amply exposing the UDF negative tactics of communal appeasement. As far as the LDF is concnered, Piravom bypoll is a purely political contest to expose the alleged machinations, anti-people and anti-development policies of the UDF Government, he adds.
According to him the sympathy factor following the demise of Mr Jacob and the ongoing mass contact programmes of Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, will have only a limited impact on the bypoll as the people of Kerala are politically conscious.
He said the LDF convention in Piravom would be held on November 24 and the CPI would hold another convention on November 26.
Mr Chandrappan said CPI and the left parties were for the much talked about `Kerala Model Development’ and a universal public distribution system, unlike the Congress(I) policy of a targeted public distribution system.
He said the food inflation in the State was on the rise.
Congress(I) president Sonia Gandhi had promised to implement a legally binding food security in 100 days, if the Congress(I)-led United Progressive Alliance came to power. However, Ms Sonia’s promise still remain a catchy slogan which is still in the discussion stage, making a mockery of the Congress(I) poll promise, he alleged.
It requires Rs 4.5 lakh crore for implementing the proposed food security for five years. Ironically, the Union Government has given tax concession worth Rs 5.2 lakh crore to corporate giants while sidelining the much sought-after food security scheme, he alleged.
