THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has alleged that all the non-BJP-ruled states are being discriminated against by the BJP-led Union government. He was speaking at a protest organised by the LDF government against the Union government’s alleged fiscal negligence at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Thursday.
The CM, all his cabinet colleagues, 8 MPs and 99 MLAs of the left took out a march from Kerala House to the protest venue at Jantar Mantar in the morning carrying the banner, ‘Fight to Protect Federalism’.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that Opposition was seeking to create a north-south divide, Pinarayi said efforts are on by certain sections to depict the genuine demands of states as an issue of north-south divide.
“It is totally untrue, unfounded and baseless. Ours is a democratic protest against the undoing of federal structure and the sheer discrimination against the states irrespective of north, south considerations. Taking into account the interests of our people and our state, we cannot be quiet”, he said.
“We have seen gubernatorial excesses in Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and so on. There are some who allege that this protest in Delhi is politically motivated. In reality, it is that allegation which is politically motivated. This protest is against the denial of what is rightfully ours. It is not just Kerala that is protesting against the political discrimination against states. Karnataka has also come out in protest,” Pinarayi said, adding, the fact that state governments run by different political parties are forced to protest on the same issue endorses that their grievances are genuine.