Thiruvananthapuram: A day after a prominent Kerala Church leader criticised the ruling LDF for its rout in Lok Sabha polls, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan came down heavily against him saying "there are idiots among priests."
In a Facebook post the other day Dr Geevarghese Mar Coorilos, the metropolitan of Niranam Diocese of Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, had stated that the LDF government cannot always bank on floods and pandemics for political revival.
Responding sharply to the priest's criticism, the Chief Minister said; "I came across the priest’s statement which meant that the CPM-led LDF government got a second term in office because of the devastating floods in the state. Some people seem to wish for another flood in Kerala."
The chief minister was addressing a function to mark the release of the progress report of the state government’s achievements.
“The Centre is not even giving us what we deserve. It was forced to rectify its stand after the Supreme Court intervened in the matter. We are facing adversities that no government normally has to experience,” Pinarayi Vijayan said while accusing the central government of choking the state financially.
Pinarayi said Kerala did not get the central assistance it should have received in times of disaster. “Those who were responsible for assisting behaved negatively,” he said.
In his Facebook post Mar Coorilose, considered Left fellow traveller, had cautioned the LDF in Kerala in the wake of disastrous results. “If the Left fails to take corrective measures, taking into account people's discontent, it will go the West Bengal and Tirpura way,” he said while citing several reasons for the CPM's poor performance including the government’s poor performance on many fronts, intolerance to criticism, SFI's violent politics, corruption associated with cooperative banks, failure to disburse social security pension.
The priest alleged that Pinarayi and his party had unnecessarily targeted Rahul Gandhi who was leading a valiant fight against fascism across the country. He criticised the poor performance of most ministers.
LDF ignoring backward communities and Dalits: Vellapally Natesan
SNDP general secretary Vellapally Natesan alleged that the backward classes and Dalit sections were not getting justice from the LDF government. The neglect of the backward communities and Dalits was one of the reasons behind LDF’s rout in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
“Till yesterday the LDF used to get the bulk of OBC and SC votes. But today there is a shift in their votes. The LDF appears to be going overboard in appeasing the minorities including Christians. They are getting whatever they demand. But our normal demands are also not even being considered,” he said while addressing a SNDP event.
Vellapally Natesan said as far as positions of power are concerned, minorities were getting double promotions once they came to the LDF. But the backward classes and Dalits who have given their sweat and blood for the party, are not receiving adequate representation in the government and other power structures, he alleged.
