THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF has relegated itself to such a position that it has become a recruiting ground for NDA candidates in the state, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said on Sunday.
The NDA candidate from Idukki, Biju Krishnan, was a former district panchayat president of LDF in Idukki and was the former district president of SFI, CPM’s student wing, Chennithala told reporters at Indira Bhawan.
“T V Babu, the NDA candidate from Alathur, is a former LDF block president and the NDA candidate in Ernakulam, Alphons Kannanthanam, is a former LDF MLA from Kanjirapally,” he said. He claimed UDF will win all 20 seats in the state. He said the main fight here is between LDF and UDF. On whether this is applicable in Thiruvananthapuram also, he said: “I think so.”
Chennithala said with the CPM and BJP expecting a major drubbing at the elections, both have started campaigning on communal lines. He said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s press conference on Sunday is an indication of CPM admitting the failure. He said Pinarayi raising the bogey of a BJP-UDF alliance is an anticipatory bail for what is in store after the elections.
“BJP remained leaderless and directionless after Kummanam was banished to Mizoram. It, however, found an issue after Pinarayi took an adamant stand in the Sabarimala issue, in the process reinvigorating the beleaguered BJP,” he said.
He said BJP does not have any issue to discuss in the elections and hence used blatant communalism by evoking the Sabarimala issue. He rubbished Pinarayi’s statement the state is being disgraced by the Opposition by evoking the flood issue. “The floods killed 483 people. UDF will definitely use this as a major poll issue,” he said.