Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran has alleged that the Lok Sabha election results are the people’s response to “Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s arrogance” and the “failure” of the State government.
Addressing the media here on Saturday, he sought the Chief Minister’s resignation, accusing him of paving the way for the Left Democratic Front’s debacle in the polls. “Mr. Vijayan had earlier told mediapersons to move away from his way. Now the people have told him to move away,” the KPCC president said.
Mr. Ramachandran pointed out that A.K. Antony had quit the Chief Minister’s post in 2004 when the United Democratic Front faced a drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. UDF candidates were ahead of their LDF rivals in 123 Assembly constituencies and 16 seats represented by Ministers. “May 25 marks the third anniversary of the LDF government. It is the right time for him to quit,” he said.
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‘Secular stand’
The Congress leader claimed that the Kerala results were a vindication of the Congress party’s “secular stand” on the Sabarimala issue. “When both the BJP and the CPI(M) played votebank politics on Sabarimala, we stood with the devotees’ sentiments,” he said. The popular sentiment was a secular response to Narendra Modi’s politics too, Mr. Ramachandran pointed out.
He accused Mr. Vijayan of scuttling the proposal to forge a unity of secular political parties at the Centre to fight the National Democratic Alliance. “It was Mr. Vijayan and two other members of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau who opposed the idea to have an understanding with the Congress,” he added.
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Shanimol’s defeat
Mr. Ramachandran said the party would inquire into the defeat of Congress candidate Shanimol Usman from Alappuzha. “Action will be initiated against party workers if they are found to have any role in the failure,” he added.