Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday told the Assembly that he would continue to be unyielding in his resistance to revanchist forces inimical to progressive values and gender equality.
Participating in the discussion on demands for grants in 2019-20 budget, Mr. Vijayan said his government was not a pliant one. It was not in awe of forces that sought to retard hard-won social reforms..
“Do not hope to bring that bygone era back. I will resist such attempts stubbornly if that is the word they chose to characterise my stance,” he said.
The fight for equality of women and progressive principles would continue irrespective of the outcome of the Sabarimala issue. The push to give renaissance values wider currency in Kerala would gain more momentum in the coming days, he said.
Charge against IUML
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had aligned with radical forces to give a leg-up to the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Lok Sabha election. It courted the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Social Democratic Party of India for short-term electoral gain overlooking the fact that the organisations harboured extremist elements. The IUML has already claimed ownership of the victory of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, he said.
Mr. Vijayan theorised that the UDF had misled voters by portraying Mr. Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate. Wary of the rise of Narendra Modi, they forsook the Left and voted for the Congress on the false hope that the party would emerge strongly in the polls and form a secular government at the Centre. The “poor people” have realised their folly and rallied back to the Left. The UDF would feel the backlash of their false campaigning soon.
The propaganda that the government caused the floods and mishandled the Sabarimala issue gained traction among a section of traditional Left voters, and it helped the UDF gain a temporary victory. The corporate right-wing media helped spread the false narrative.
Chennithala charge
Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala painted a grim picture of a State in dire financial straits with no hope of redemption. He said post-flood reconstruction had hit a roadblock. Political murders, unemployment, price rise and farmer suicides were on an upward spiral.
Ministers toured the world as the government faltered. Mr. Vijayan has lost the moral right to continue, and propriety demanded that he step down, Mr. Ramesh said.
Later, the House passed the demand for grants in the 2019-20 budget for Administration of Justice, Heads of States, Ministers and Headquarters Staff by a voice vote.
