India News | LDF, UDF Trade Graft Allegations in Kerala Assembly
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The ruling LDF in Kerala and the opposition UDF on Tuesday traded corruption charges over various issues, including the suicide of a Congress leader in Wayanad and the permission granted to a private company to establish a brewery unit in Palakkad.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 21 (PTI) The ruling LDF in Kerala and the opposition UDF on Tuesday traded corruption charges over various issues, including the suicide of a Congress leader in Wayanad and the permission granted to a private company to establish a brewery unit in Palakkad.
The allegations surfaced during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address, which marked the commencement of the 13th session of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly.
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LDF convener and MLA T P Ramakrishnan, who moved the motion, initiated the discussion by citing the suicide of Congress' Wayanad district office-bearer N M Vijayan and his son, alleging that the opposition party's corrupt practices were responsible for it.
He further accused the UDF and Congress of "aligning with" groups like the BJP and Jamaat-e-Islami in their pursuit of power in Kerala.
Other LDF MLAs levelled similar allegations against the opposition, claiming that the Congress and UDF supported both majority and minority communalism to prevent the Left from returning to power. They further alleged that the opposition had never worked in the interest of the state or its people.
In response, the Congress hit back at the LDF while opposing the motion of thanks. It argued that while the Left accused the opposition of corruption, it conveniently avoided addressing instances of graft within the cooperative sector during its over eight years in power.
Senior Congress leader and MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan highlighted several alleged irregularities in CPI(M)-controlled cooperative banks, including the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank in Thrissur.
He also pointed to the suspension of various public welfare schemes, which he claimed were no longer being implemented due to the state's overwhelming debt.
Radhakrishnan further said that granting permission to establish a brewery in Palakkad contradicted the state government's liquor policy and the LDF manifesto, both of which advocated reducing alcohol consumption in Kerala.
"You (LDF) are trying to destroy Kerala. No development is happening in the state anymore," he alleged.
The UDF also pointed to its victory in the Palakkad assembly by-poll, claiming that the Left attempted to stoke communalism during the campaign but failed to gain traction.
The discussion on the motion of thanks is set to continue on Wednesday. PTI HMP SSK
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)