Kodiyeri Balakrishnan plays up sure win

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Thursday claimed that the situation in the state was more favourable for LDF compared to that of 2006, and the front was set to win 100 plus seats notwithstanding the claims of the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the Prime Minster Narendra Modi's campaign. The CPM state secretary said the people of the state have made up their mind for a change. LDF is surging ahead, he added.

When asked about the possible LDF Chief Minister, Mr. Kodiyeri said that the matter would be discussed after the polls and it would be smooth. "People discuss about the Chief Minister because they are sure that LDF is coming to power. Mr. Chandy and Mr. Ramesh Chennithala are fighting for opposition leader's post. But the post might go to Muslim League's Mr. P K Kunhalikutty as well," he said.

Kodiyeri said Modi drew a parallel between Kerala and Somalia because of Chandy's soft approach towards the Sangh Parivar. Even UDF leaders had eulogised the Gujarat model. Labour Minister Shibu Baby John was the first to say that Gujarat should be made role model as it was way ahead in development activities compared to Kerala. K M Shaji MLA had also expressed similar views. “Such statements had given the courage to Modi to draw comparison with Somalia,” he said.

Kodiyeri listed out the high human development parameters achieved by the state. The literacy rate of Kerala is 93.91 per cent and Gujarat's 79.31, drop-out rate of students between first standard and tenth standards is as high as 48 per cent in Gujarat , Kerala sex ratio is 1000/1084 while it is 918/1000  in Gujarat.

The CPM leader said the state could achieve high sex ratio because of the high priority given to gender equality. “People in our state consider the birth of a child as a blessing. In public health and land reforms, Kerala is far ahead of Gujarat. Mr. Modi ignored all these achievements to insult the people of Kerala,” he said.
Kodiyeri said Mr. Modi's charge that LDF and UDF were two sides of the same coin, was meant to divert the attention of people from the Left surge.