KASARGOD: KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala flagged off the Kerala Mochana Yatra of the UDF in Uppla on 10th jan.2010 Monday evening, kicking off the election campaign for the Assembly polls in the state.
Mounting a blistering attack on the LDF and the CPM, and setting the tone for the UDF election campaign, Ramesh Chennithala said the LDF Government has degenerated into a mafia rule, which had registered the largest number of criminal cases in the country.Stating that the state was being ruled by a band of anarchists, Ramesh Chennithala said, "we have a Home Minister who had said that bombs would be manufactured in front of even police stations." The fourandahalf year rule of the LDF has ripped off the mask of Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, he said.Criticising the development agenda of the LDF, he said the Smart City project initiated under the previous UDF government has not been materialised so far. "When the UDF Government comes to power, we will have not one but two smart city projects," he added.The arrogance of the CPM leaders has alienated the people from the party and development dreams of the state remained shattered. Stating that the CPM was standing for the interests of the affluent class, the KPCC president said the party was now constructing skyscrapers and neglecting the poor.The CPM has been facing defeat after defeat, first in the byelections, then in the Lok Sabha election and now in the election to the local self governments. The verdict of the people against the LDF Government was well reflected in all these elections, he said.There was no governance in the state except the fight between CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, he said.Taking the cue from Ramesh Chennithala, UDF leaders, who addressed the rally trained their guns on the CPM and the alleged mindboggling corruption of the CPM ministers in the lottery scandal. Kerala Congress leader K M Mani said the impending election was going to be a kurukshetra battle. R Balakrishna Pillai and K M Mani also focused on the corruption of the LDF ministers. T M Jacob said even Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan had said that a whopping `80,000 crore was involved in the lottery scam. Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy, who leads the yatra, said the LDF Government has lost its moral right to rule the state. He said the government lacked the will power to implement development programmes."The people are going to understand the difference between the LDF and the UDF," he said. "The UDF remained united but disunity was the hallmark of LDF," he added. Stating that the people desired liberation from the corrupt and morally degraded LDF Government, he said the LDF Government had failed to utilise the development prospects of the state and solve the problems of the people.
Oommen Chandy said that Chief Minister had stated that he would seize the Tata's land in Munnar, but the same land was notified by the UDF Government led by Achutha Menon as government land in 1974. He said 800 acres of the Munnar land was illegally occupied by CPM supporters. UDF leaders T M Jacob, K M Mani, M V Raghavan, Rajan Babu, R Balakrishna Pillai, Cherkalam Abdulla, Manhalamkuzhi Ali, and M P Veerendra Kumar addressed the function.