People eager for political change in Kerala, UDF will come to power with 100 seats: Ramesh Chennithala

The United Democratic Front (UDF) will come to power with around 100 seats as the people of Kerala are “eager for a political change”, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has said.

Addressing the media at Aluva on Friday, Mr. Chennithala said the Chief Minister’s “anxiety over an impending electoral setback was the reason behind the blatant misuse of government machinery and officials for the proposed Nava Kerala survey.”

“KIIFB has set aside ₹150 crore just for publicity. Is it KIIFB’s job to advertise? No amount of whitewashing will help the government,” Mr. Chennithala said.

He alleged that the Chief Secretary and other senior officials were present at a meeting convened by the Chief Minister to discuss the survey. “At a time when elections are approaching, using funds from the State exchequer to conduct such a survey by deploying DYFI workers is undemocratic. Under the guise of the Nava Kerala survey, the government is planning door-to-door vote canvassing,” he said.

Mr. Chennithala warned that “governments may change, but officials who show such blatant bias will be answerable later.”

“We will approach the Election Commission against conducting elections involving these same officials. My message to the officials is simple: do not become scapegoats in this game,” he said.

Mr. Chennithala said that poor people cannot depend on medical college hospitals and government hospitals. “People who go in for treatment return dead. The (Health) Minister says the system is faulty. But isn’t the Minister there to fix the system?” he asked, referring to an incident in which surgical forceps were allegedly left inside a woman’s abdomen during surgery.

‘Mani Shankar Aiyar an outdated figure’

Mr. Chennithala dismissed veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar as “an outdated figure available for hire to say whatever those who call him want him to say.”

He added that while persons such as CPI(M) leader P.K. Sasi and A. Suresh (former personal assistant to the late communist leader V.S. Achuthanandan) would be “welcome” if they chose to join the Congress, “no decision has been taken” about allotting them seats in the Assembly election.

He also made it clear that no consultation was held with the Opposition regarding the extension of bar timings in Kerala. “On one hand, the government claims to reduce alcohol availability and speaks of de-addiction, while on the other, it extends bar hours,” he said.

Mr. Chennithala condemned the upcoming film The Kerala Story 2 as “an attempt to insult” Kerala. “The issues raised have nothing to do with Kerala. This is a land of communal harmony and secularism. A lobby is working behind the movie to create hatred and division,” he alleged.

He also announced that Rahul Gandhi will visit Kerala on February 26 to lay the foundation stone for the party’s housing project for victims of the Wayanad landslides. “We will keep our promise. The government refused to provide land, so we purchased it ourselves,” Mr. Chennithala said.