CM Vijayan targets Centre, Congress on final day of Nava Kerala Sadas

PTI, Dec 23, 2023, 8:47 PM IST

Source: PTI / File

Thiruvananthapuram: Marking the culmination of the one month-long Nava Kerala Sadas, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Saturday hit out at the opposition Congress-led UDF and the BJP-headed Union government, accusing them of causing hurdles in the development of the state.

While the Centre is trying to scuttle the progress of Kerala, the Congress leadership in the state has adopted a stand not to oppose them, Vijayan alleged.

He accused many prominent leaders of the state Congress leadership of making personal interventions and statements in favour of the ”Sangh Parivar” in recent times.

”At a time when the state is going through such a tough time, the Congress has been reluctant to say anything criticising the BJP-led Union government,” Vijayan said while addressing a gathering as part of the Nava Kerala Sadas, an outreach programme of the ruling government. He also asked whether any of the Congress-UDF MPs dared to question the Centre about the discrimination it was showing to the state.

Further criticising the decision of the UDF to boycott the Nava Kerala Sadas, Vijayan accused the opposition of unleashing widespread violence to mar the programme.

”They deliberately tried to create provocation in society…but we requested the public to show restraint and they accepted it wholeheartedly,” he said.

Targeting the Congress leadership, Vijayan said they made provocative speeches to unleash violence in society, but their intention had failed.

He also alleged that the Congress would do anything for the sake of just a few votes.

The chief minister’s intense criticism came amidst state-wide protests staged by opposition parties and their youth outfits against the Nava Kerala Sadas which began last month.

Despite the objection from opposition parties including the Congress, the outreach programme, led by Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues, commenced on November 18 from Manjeshwaram constituency in the northern district of Kasaragod.

The CM and the ministers travelled across the 140 constituencies in the state in a specially-designed bus to take part in the event.

As the opposition boycotted the programme alleging extravagance, its youth outfits staged black flag protests throughout the CM’s journey in the last one month.

The assault unleashed by the activists of the CPI(M)’s Democratic Youth Federation of India and the security personnel of the CM against the protesting Kerala Students Union and Youth Congress workers triggered a widespread controversy.