Malampuzha: Left Democratic Front’s lead campaigner V S Achuthanandan, who turns 93 in October, has no doubts that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is LDF’s principal foe, though Congress leaders are still unsure of their election mascot.
In an interview to DC at his temporary office at Chandra Nagar in Malampuzha on Saturday, Mr Achuthananadan spoke on key issues, though seldom in doubt about the leadership role electors have assigned him.
From Thiruvananthapuram to Malampuzha, we cruised along neat and wide stretches on the MC road and NH. Infrastructure has improved, bringing credit to Chandy Government. On the social front, social welfare disbursals have galloped. Aren’t they positives of the UDF dispensation?
These are the offshoot of the good work we had initiated while in office. Have they tackled real issues affecting the common man? Their record on tackling food price spiral has been abysmal. During the LDF tenure, there was a great deal of effort to keep prices in check. Our manifesto now offers as a priority zero hike in prices of essential items for five years.
Coming to elections, there are reports that Surya group honcho V M Radhakrishnan and SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan have joined hands against you?
Is it the first time they are on the same plank? I exposed Natesan’s micro finance fraud. A case is pending against him, involving misappropriation worth Rs 80 lakh. He was drawing public funds at an interest rate of 5 per cent, disbursing them to poor women and collecting 18 per cent in return. Mr Natesan is angry with me for exposing this blatant fraud. The election has given me an opportunity to expose him further.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit seems to have galvanised the people?
Mr Modi’s address in Palakkad has given us yet another opportunity to expose him. He mentioned the brutal murder of the Dalit woman in Kerala during his election campaign. Why wasn’t he anguished when a middle-aged man was lynched over suspected storing of beef in UP?
Didn’t the socio-political system failed in preventing the murder of the Dalit woman? Can the police be blamed solely for the sordid turn of events that led to the killing?
The major problem was the failure of the government to act quickly after the crime was committed. The talk about other systems not rising up to the occasion is misplaced.
What are LDF priorities for the new government?
We will revamp education, agricultural and social welfare fronts. Our focus would be to help the marginalised sections and aid in women empowerment. The manifesto is clear about a minister exclusively for women affairs. So much of injustice is being done to them in spite of remedial measures taken by successive ministries.
