Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 9 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) of double standards, claiming former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President, Ramesh Chennithala, who once called for a clear boundary between the Congress and communal forces, is now supporting the inclusion of Jamaat-e-Islami within the UDF.
Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan said, "Ramesh Chennithala, in his capacity as the KPCC President at the time, had strongly upheld CK Govindan Nair's statement that there should be a Lakshman Rekha, a clear boundary for the relationship the Congress must maintain with communal forces and sectarian organisations."
He added, "The same Ramesh Chennithala is now in a leadership position facilitating the inclusion of Jamaat-e-Islami within the UDF."
The Chief Minister said the statements made earlier by Congress leaders were a matter of public record. "The statements made by V D Satheesan, K Muraleedharan and Aryadan Mohammed are all still matters of public record," he said.
Recalling the controversy over the fifth ministerial post, Vijayan said, "The tone adopted by Satheesan at that time is also well remembered. What he had said was that the leadership of the Muslim League should reflect on whether the fifth ministerial post had brought political gain or loss to the Muslim League."
He added, "In response to Satheesan, it was T K Abdullah, the former Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, who clarified that they had not abandoned the concept of a religious state."
Addressing allegations surrounding the transfer of the Rejuvenation case involving Opposition Leader V D Satheesan to CBI, the Chief Minister said, "We have seen many instances in the past where cases were hurriedly handed over to the CBI as elections approached. That is not our habit."
On rehabilitation efforts in landslide-hit Wayanad, Vijayan said, "So far, there has been no indication that the Congress has started constructing houses for the disaster-affected people in Wayanad." He added, "Many state governments have provided funds to the Kerala government, which are meant to be used for rehabilitation there."
Rejecting claims of political ownership over the funds, he said, "The fact that any of these governments is led by the Congress does not mean the funds can be considered Congress funds. They can only be regarded as state-provided funds."
He further said, "The Youth Congress had also announced that it would construct houses, but that too has not materialised so far." In contrast, Vijayan added, "Another youth organisation, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), had already provided the government with funds to construct 100 houses."
"The Congress party, which claims to be the principal opposition party of the country, is also moving along the same path," the Chief Minister further said.
Referring to the United States, he said, "Even while American President Donald Trump is repeatedly threatening India by saying that he will once again raise import tariffs, we have seen the Congress government in Telangana displaying competitive enthusiasm to even construct a road in Trump's name."
He added, "No one is surprised by this. Only those who once carried out a coup disguised as a so-called 'liberation struggle' that was planned by the CIA with American funding can behave in this manner." Vijayan further alleged, "Among those who received funds from the CIA at that time were prominent media organisations as well. Their ghosts continue to control our media landscape even today."
Over the recent developments in Venezuela, where the US launched a "large-scale strike" in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Saturday and captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, Vijayan said, "Such media are now trying to sugar-coat the American invasion of Venezuela." He added, "To them, it is neither an encroachment upon a nation's sovereignty nor a cruelty against humanity."
However, Vijayan said, "For every ordinary citizen of this country, the American action of abducting President Maduro and his wife and invading Venezuela is something that should evoke deep concern and protest."
Expressing confidence in the Left's electoral prospects, the Chief Minister said, "There are sufficient reasons for the LDF's confidence in the forthcoming Assembly election." He added, "If one examines Kerala's overall situation, it is something that instils confidence in the LDF."
Vijayan said, "It is expected that the people will accept the LDF with a greater number of seats." Referring to earlier setbacks, he said, "If the issues related to the defeat in the local body elections are examined, it can be understood that those were special circumstances."
"The Assembly election is meant to decide how Kerala's general affairs should be. In that matter, people will deliver their verdict based on the state's own experiences. When people assess the LDF governance of the past ten years, the condition of Kerala prior to that period naturally comes to their minds," he further said.
"That comparison is something that has a significant influence," Vijayan said, adding, "For anyone who examines it, it will lead to the LDF's graph rising to a great extent."