Kottayam: The Congress-led UDF has no prick of conscience in joining hands with the BJP, responsible for the genocide in Manipur, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Meenadam.
He cited the example of Kottayam's Kidangoor grama panchayat - 20km from Puthuppally - where the UDF with three seats and BJP with five seats came together to control the 15-member panchayat board.
Pinarayi addressed three election meetings for LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas at Kooroppada, Meenadam and Manarcadu on Wednesday.
He attempted to drive home the charge that the Congress was unreliable in protecting secularism in the country.
"There are many who claim to be secular. But the touchstone of secularism is the stance they take against communalism," he said.
Only those who take an uncompromising stance against communalism can be the guardians of secularism, he said at Meenadam.
Manipur is not an isolated incident, Pinarayi said. "It won't be the last and we know it was not the first either," said the Chief Minister. "Those who organised the genocide are preparing for the next," he alleged.
The UDF is encouraging such forces by joining hands with them, Pinarayi said citing the example of Kidangoor. "The Congress and the BJP did not have any trouble to stand together and take decisions in Ettumanoor too," he said at Kooroppada.
To be sure, Kerala Congress (M)'s PJ Joseph faction is in alliance with the BJP in Kidangoor grama panchayat. The party is a constituent of the Congress-led UDF. Congress does not have a seat in the panchayat.
The Congress has been adjusting to communalism for a long time, he said. In Kerala, both parties are okay with forming alliances at different levels, he said. "What is the guarantee that it (the Congress) will protect secularism?" he said.
Within the country, Kerala is an island because of its stance against communalism, he said.
The Chief Minister said the Union government was trying to financially strangle Kerala by lowering the borrowing limits and slashing the state's share of central taxes and duties.
Kerala's share in the devolution of central taxes was 3.8 per cent during the 10th Finance Commission (1995-2000). "It has now come down to 1.9 per cent," he said. It was 2.5 per cent during the 14th Finance Commission.
On top of it, the Union government is lowering the borrowing limits of the state, he said. When the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) borrows money, it is not added to the Union government's account and so the Centre's borrowing is not affected. "But the Union government said KIIFB's borrowings would be considered as the State government's debt. This is the double standards of the Union government," he said.
This is impeding development in the state by reducing its borrowing limits, he said.
The Chief Minister hit out at the UDF members of parliament for not raising these issues with the Union Finance Minister.
The UDF MPs were convinced of what the Union government was doing to Kerala. They agreed to take it up with the Finance Minister but later backed off from signing the joint petition, he said. "Why are they not ready to criticise the Union government a wee bit," he asked.
The Chief Minister said the LDF was committed to the people. "That's what brought us back to power (in 2021). That's what the people want and Jaick C Thomas represents that," he said, raising the arm of the LDF candidate at Meenadam.
