PATHANAMTHITTA: KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala has alleged widespread manipulation of electoral rolls in the State.
Talking to newsmen here, Ramesh Chennithala, who was here in connection with the Kerala Raksha Yathra, alleged that the Chief Minister was delaying permission to the Governor for initiating prosecution proceedings against those chargesheeted in the SNC-Lavalin case with the objective of protecting those chargesheeted.
Regarding manipulation of electoral rolls, Ramesh Chennithala said that there were widespread complaints about manipulation of the electoral rolls across the State with the objective of helping the LDF win the elections. He alleged that there was indiscriminate deletion of names from the voters’ lists in certain constituencies in Pathanamthitta district where the UDF’s chances for victory were bright. Similar complaints have also been received from Malappuram district, he said.
Chennithala said the incidents of manipulation of electoral rolls had been taken up before the State Chief Electoral Officer. If he failed to act on them, the issue would be taken up with the Chief Election Commissioner.
The KPCC president said that the people wanted to know about the reasons for the Government delaying granting permission to the Governor to go ahead with the prosecution proceedings against those chargesheeted in the Lavalin case. If the Government continues to drag its feet on the issue, Congress would intensify the agitation against the State Government till the permission is given, he said.
The LDF Government has virtually halted all development programmes in the State, Ramesh Chennithala said.The annual plan of the local self-government institutions were in total disarray and even 40 per cent of the plan funds were yet to be uitilised, he said.
As regards the State Plan, the LDF Government had been able to take up only 30 per cent of the development projects, Chennithala said.
Regarding the Lok Sabha elections, the KPCC president said that chances of victory for UDF candidates were bright. The LDF was facing severe crisis in the wake of sharp differences over seat-sharing. The smaller constituents were unhappy with the big brother attitude of the CPM, he said.
DCC president P Mohanraj, K Sivadasan Nair, MLA, Peelipose Thomas, Mannar Abdul Lathief, M A Kuttappan, Abraham George Pachayil, Pazhakulam Madhu and Sureshkumar were present on the occasion.