Taking stock of the results of the recent civic polls in Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) said on Saturday that the outcomes didn’t go as per its expectations and warned that the upcoming Assembly elections will deal with the arrogance of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Left Front.
At the civic polls, the UDF expected that the Vijayan government will be given a severe drubbing in the wake of the gold smuggling case and other issues. However, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) won the polls with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) coming second, giving Vijayan much-needed boost in the wake of all the cases that his government is facing.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said Vijayan is trying to spread canards by saying that the UDF has become irrelevant.
“He is trying to play the communal card and is trying to turn Kerala into a communal state. He is trying to project the BJP as the principal opposition. This is being done purposely for vested interests. But the people are seeing everything and Vijayan should not see this victory as the ultimate one. He has also become very arrogant, so has the Left front. People will give them a fitting reply in the upcoming Assembly polls,” said Chennithala.
“We do admit our lapses. The civil poll was not just a normal election as it took place during Covid times. We will rectify our mistakes and return with a bang,” added Chennithala.
Vijayan on Saturday rubbed salt into the wounds of the UDF defeat by stating that things have come to a stage that the Indian Union Muslim League (the second biggest ally of the UDF) is now deciding who should lead the Congress.
Veteran IUML leader and Lok Sabha member P.K. Kunhalikutty said it was not befitting of Vijayan to say such things.
“He should not have stooped so low by making this statement. None should forget that in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Vijayan dispensation had to bite the dust as it won just one of the 20 seats. Elections will come and go. This is not the end of the world. You just wait and see, we will come back strongly,” said Kunhalikutty.
The UDF at its meeting decided to strengthen its work and organise a series of meetings at all levels. It also decided to commence its first round of campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls which is likely to take place in April/May next year.
–IANS
