UDF to spotlight ‘Kerala crisis’ in Puthuyuga Yatra

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal has accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) of surviving solely by spreading lies and alleged that the State government is attempting to protect the accused in the Sabarimala gold smuggling case.

Inaugurating the Puthuyuga Yatra led by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan here on Friday, Mr. Venugopal launched a sharp attack on what he described as the “misrule” of the LDF government. He said the ruling front had nothing to offer the public except falsehoods and had no answers to serious allegations.

Acknowledging that there were honest officers in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the gold smuggling case, Mr. Venugopal alleged that the government was pressuring them to shield the accused. He warned the government against assuming that those involved in the temple gold smuggling could evade accountability, emphasising that the public was fully aware of the truth. He further alleged that the SIT’s failure to file even a preliminary chargesheet reflected an attempt to protect the CPI(M).

Referring to Payyannur-based CPI(M) leader V. Kunhikrishnan, Mr. Venugopal described him as a communist who had not compromised his principles.

Drawing an analogy with the Union Budget, Mr. Venugopal said the CPI(M)’s political approach resembled a “tortoise conservation model,” exposing itself only when convenient and retreating immediately thereafter.

Earlier, former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Muraleedharan said the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government was “gasping for its last breath” after incurring the “curse of the people and even of God.” The LDF government had betrayed ordinary citizens and faced divine retribution for its actions. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan were acting in a state of confusion due to a “divine curse” linked to the gold smuggling scandal.

KPCC president Sunny Joeph said the yatra would help raise the people’s voice forcefully against the government and highlight issues affecting the public.

Speaking to reporters in Kasaragod ahead of the yatra, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the State has slipped into a severe financial crisis, forcing large numbers of youths to migrate, and warned that if the present situation continues, Kerala could “turn into an old-age home within five years.” Kerala had never witnessed such deep economic distress in the past. He alleged that the government was “surviving on massive borrowings,” the health sector was “on a ventilator” and agriculture was in “a state of collapse.”

He said the 30-day yatra would conclude in Thiruvananthapuram on March 7, with about 75% of the journey dedicated to discussion on “what the future of Kerala” should look like. “Whereever the present government has failed, the UDF has alternative plans,” he said, adding that the yatra would offer “a clear vision of future Kerala” before the people. “While maladministration and governance failures will be strongly criticised, the journey will be different from conventional protest marches and will include dream-like declarations never seen before,” he said, adding that visual documents and exhibitions would also be part of the campaign.