Congress-led UDF to observe 9th anniversary of Vijayan government as 'black day'

Thiruvananthapuram, May 19 (IANS) Kerala's opposition Congress-led UDF has decided to observe the 9th anniversary of the Pinarayi Vijayan government - and also the fourth of its unprecedented second term - falling on Tuesday as "a black day".

The first Vijayan government assumed office in May 2016, and on May 20, 2021, Vijayan created history by becoming the first Chief Minister to be sworn in for a second consecutive term by leading the Left Democratic Front to a record victory.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Monday said the Vijayan government will go down as one which forgot to rule the state, and all it did was to engage in corrupt practices.

"I wish to ask Vijayan if he and the government did anything apart from giving advertisements to the media... giving money to media for self-promotion," the Congress leader said, noting that he is posing the query "because all along both Vijayan and the CPI-M have always taken a contemptuous attitude towards the media".

"The Vijayan government, during the nine years, has totally forgotten to rule as they were engaged in corrupt practices... when the Oommen Chandy-led (Congress) government demitted office in 2016, the total public debt of Kerala was Rs 1.5 lakh crore and due to mismanagement and wasteful expenditure, it has reached a staggering Rs 6 lakh crore and this is a sad testimony to lack of governance," he added.

Satheesan claimed the biggest pointer towards a lack of governance in Kerala is that each and every sector is in shambles.

"When Chandy stepped down, the state electricity board was in profit and after nine years, despite electricity tariffs getting hiked a few times, it’s now in deep distress with a staggering loss. The medicine supply department of the state government is also reeling as they are unable to pay money to their suppliers, and the same is true with the Civil Supplies Corporation, which is the wholesaler of supplying essential food items and hence, the fair price shops which the majority of the people frequent are mostly empty. This is the same with many Welfare Boards," he claimed.

The Congress leader said the recent disclosure of veteran CPI-M leader and former minister G.Sudhakaran that he had tampered with postal votes in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections is a clear reflection of what exactly happens in the CPI-M.

"This is what we have been saying for long and now it has been testified to by their own leader," Satheesan said.

"With this being the real scenario of what is happening in Kerala, the entire Congress-led Opposition will observe Tuesday as a black day," he added.

--IANS

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