The United Democratic Front ( UDF) has decided to take out a march to the Collectorate here on Thursday in protest against “the steep hike in essential commodities, rise in unemployment and the reported extravagance of the State government.”
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran will inaugurate the protest at 10 a.m. Senior leaders of the UDF are expected to take part in the agitation, UDF Kozhikode district convener M.A. Razak, District Congress Committee president T. Siddique and IUML general secretary Ummar Pandikashala told a news conference here on Tuesday.
The leaders alleged that CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government was looting the exchequer through regular foreign jaunts even as thousands of people were battling to rebuild their lives after the massive floods during the last two monsoons. It was deplorable that the Chief Minister, Ministers and government officials accompanied by their families were undertaking foreign trips. The recent tour of the Chief Minister to Japan, UAE and other countries had yielded no results except making a big hole in the State’s critical financial resources, they said.
They also accused the LDF government of taking the State to a grave financial crisis with unemployment rates reaching record levels and the common man struggling to cope with the rise in prices. The government had stopped subsidies and the Civil Supplies Department had run out of stock. Besides, the department had to face a huge debt of ₹250 crore, they said.
The government had spent about ₹40 lakh for lawyers to argue in the Kerala High Court against the CBI taking over the Shuhaib murder case. The amount had been spent only for rescuing the accused owing allegiance to the CPI(M), they said.
The LDF government had no qualms in hiring helicopters for ₹18 crore for anti-Maoist operations. It appeared to be following the footsteps of Narendra Modi government when it came to corrupt dealings and extravaganza, the UDF leaders said.
