The Kerala Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy on Wednesday categorically said the Nair Service Society had made no demands on the selection of candidates for the three assembly seats where by-elections are slated to be held on November 7.
Reacting to news reports that Congress leaders had attempted to assuage the ruffled sentiments of the NSS leadership for overlooking the claims of the Nair community, Mr. Chandy said no Congress leader had made such a move. “The NSS has not made any demands and so there is no question of any Congress leader undertaking such a mission (of meeting NSS leaders and assuaging their sentiments)”, he said at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram.
He said the Congress maintains very good ties with all organisations representing communities and social groups. It has always had very good relations with the NSS and would continue to maintain it. “But it would not be always possible to maintain communal equations and balance while selecting candidates to contest by-elections. However, the party follows this practice studiously in a general election,” he said.
The Congress party has fielded Mr. A.A. Sukhoor, Mr. Dominique Presentation and Mr. A.P. Abdulla Kutty in Alapuzha, Ernakulam and Kannur assembly seats for the November 7 by-elections.
When asked whether the State Cabinet’s decision to revive the prestigious Vizhinjam Deep-sea Container Transhipment terminal and implement its first stage at a cost of Rs. 450 crore would not amount to violation of the election code of conduct, Mr. Chandy said the people did not take the LDF government’s promises seriously.
“Let the LDF government first list out the numerous promises it has made in the last 40 months it has been in power. “I see the Vizhinjam revival as a joke. The people would hardly respond positively to this. I don’t believe that it amounts to a violation (of the code of conduct) or that it would have any impact on the election results”, he said.
