Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has criticised Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah’s comparison of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency with Pakistan.
Inaugurating a public meeting prior to a roadshow of Left Democratic Front candidate P.P. Suneer in Wayanad on Thursday, Mr. Vijayan said Mr. Shah had no idea about the culture or the history of Wayanad.
“Wayanad is the land of Kerala Varma Pazhassiraja who fought against colonial forces till his last breath with the support of Kurichya tribal soldiers. Moreover, the district had played a dominant role in the freedom struggle,” Mr. Vijayan said.
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Coming down heavily on the remarks of Mr. Shah, Mr. Vijayan said a man who knew about the history of the country or anybody who had learnt a little about the freedom struggle would never utter such venomous words.
The remarks were a blot on the fame of the hill district, the Chief Minister said adding that Mr. Shah did not learn anything about the district before uttering such remarks.
Mr. Vijayan said trade agreements of the United Progressive Alliance government as part of the neo-liberalisation policies were the major reason for the crisis in the agrarian sector. The ASEAN trade agreement was signed during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the consent of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Thousands of farmers in the country, including those in Wayanad, were facing the negative impact of the agreement, he said.
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“Will Mr. Gandhi express his regret in executing such an agreement during his election campaign here,” Mr. Vijayan asked.
An alternative secular government should come to power at the Centre after the elections to check the growth of communal and fascist forces in the country, the Chief Minister added.
Braving the scorching heat, close to 20,000 LDF workers from Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta, and Vythiri taluks participated in the roadshow.
LDF files complaint
The LDF Wayanad parliamentary constituency committee has filed separate complaints with the State and Central Election Commissions against Mr. Shah.
The BJP was trying to communally polarise the State and the public should be aware about the danger, C.K. Saseendran MLA, chairman of the committee, said in a release here on Thursday. However, the UDF leadership was yet to to respond to the remarks.