No alternative to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is possible by excluding the Congress, All India Congress Committee general secretary and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.
Inaugurating the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Shashi Tharoor’s election convention in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha (LS) constituency here on Tuesday, Mr. Chandy said the votes garnered by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) would indirectly benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition. He accused the Left Democratic Front of attempting to split the anti-BJP votes.
Era of autocracy
He alleged that the BJP aimed at ushering in an era of autocracy in the country.
“The upcoming election will be the most crucial one since the country’s Independence. We cannot afford to sacrifice our hard-earned freedom. The country must reaffirm its commitment to democratic and secular ideals by defeating the communal forces,” he said.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) former president V.M. Sudheeran dubbed the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] and the BJP as “two sides of the same coin.”
For corporates
Mr. Sudheeran alleged that the Central government was hell-bent on appeasing corporate giants, even at the expense of national security.
UDF district chairman Solomon Alex presided.
