Opposition sharpens attack on Kerala CM, accuses him of resorting to lies
Even as Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan defended the controversial helicopter trip and lunch during the floods, the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) sharpened its
Even as Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan defended the controversial helicopter trip and lunch during the floods, the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) sharpened its attack on him, with Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan accusing him of resorting to lies in all his press conferences. “The only response of the Chief Minister to various allegations are lies. This has been happening in every press conference that he has addressed. The allegation he raised against the Leader of the Opposition regarding the use of helicopter during his tenure as the Chief Minister was also a lie. To hide his failure in effectively handling various issues, he lashes out at certain mediapersons and makes fun of them. Our request to the CM is to take urgent steps to help the flood-affected to overcome the crisis.
The Opposition is ready to extend all its support to this,” said Mr. Govindan. He alleged that the government machinery has come to a standstill owing to the lack of coordination between the Chief Minister, the Revenue department and the Local Self-governments department. “In the last ten years, we have never come across such a situation as the government had efficiently handled all such crises. Now, even those who are part of the ruling front had to say that the CM has failed to effectively intervene to solve many of the issues during the floods,” he said. CPI(M) leader and former General Education Minister V. Sivankutty alleged that Mr. Satheesan is resorting to outright lies at a time when the State is facing a crisis due to heavy rains. “No Chief Minister in the past has behaved as Mr. Satheesan is doing now.
The Chief Minister is indulging in cheap mockery that does not befit the dignity of his position by asking whether previous Chief Ministers had fasted during disasters. The CM is trying to defend the criticism raised over the helicopter trip and the banquet by presenting false figures and untruths. He now even falsely claims that he did not criticise the former CM for traveling in a helicopter,” he said. CPI(M) leader and former Industries Minister P. Rajeeve said that it is appreciable if the Chief Minister is taking extra efforts to secure investments in the State, however usually such meetings in the past with genuine investors were held in the presence of Industries department officials. “The high-level meeting on the floods happened only today. When districts like Malappuram and Kozhikode were under red alert, the officials including the police who were supposed to coordinate the flood-related activities had to shift their attention towards the private visits of the CM,” alleged Mr. Rajeeve.
The BriefWire