Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has said that the Oommen Chandy-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is trying to communalise the local body polls while the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre has stirred the Sangh Parivar forces to invoke irrational beliefs such as the holy cow to change people’s food habits.
Irrational belief
Addressing an election rally of the LDF here on Wednesday evening, Mr. Achuthanandan termed as irrational the belief that cow is mother and sacred. The Sangh Parivar leaders are now propagating this belief, he said adding that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy remained silent about the irrational beliefs being pursued by the Sangh Parivar.
Mr. Chandy was a Congressman during daytime and an RSS supporter in the evening, he said adding that the Chief Minister’s bid to communalise the election would be dealt a blow in the local elections.
Mr. Achuthanandan said that Mr. Chandy and his coterie around him tried to turn the local body election into an unfair election with a plan to conduct the polls under the hegemony of the communal forces. Following strong protests from the Opposition and the High Court’s intervention, Mr. Chandy’s plan was scuttled. The High Court’s intervention was the first slap on the Chief Minister’s cheek, he said adding that the election outcome would be a slap on his other cheek.
The Leader of the Opposition said that the UDF government had reversed the previous LDF government’s measures giving more powers to local bodies including powers to utilise 40 per cent of plan funds. The Chandy government had also failed in checking price rise of essential items, he added.
Mr. Achuthanandan also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was spending more time visiting foreign countries to make people forget his pre-election promise that black money stashed in foreign bank accounts would be brought back and that each citizen would receive no less than Rs. 15 lakh in his or her bank account.
Beef in White House
In a lighter note, amid cheers of a large crowd of LDF workers and supporters in the audience, he said that the food items arranged in the White House during Mr. Modi’s visit had included tasty meat including beef.
P.K. Sreemathy, MP, Congress (S) leader Ramachandran Kadannappally, CPI(M) district secretary P. Jayarajan were among those present at the function.
Oommen Chandy is a Congress man during daytime and an RSS supporter
in the evening and his bid to communalise the election would be dealt a blow in the
local elections: VS
