Kottayam: Women's votes will power UDF candidate Chandy Oommen to a massive victory in Puthuppally byelection on September 5, said Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan.
The election result would be a reprimand to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government by the women, said the Congress leader.
Satheesan was speaking at an election rally organised by Mahila Congress to drum up support for Oommen, at Pampady on Wednesday, August 30.
Satheesan said women and children of Kerala suffered the highest number of attacks during the governance of Vijayan. "We are challenging the LDF and the CPM leaders for a discussion on it. We are ready for a debate based on crime records," he said.
Women cannot even go to the police station to file a complaint. Women going to police stations are being insulted.
On the rising prices of essential commodities, Satheesan said the average monthly expenses of a middle-level family have increased between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 from March 31 to July 31, he said. The government has increased the building tax, water tax, and fuel cess. It has increased the power tariff and will increase it again after the byelection, he said.
The Chief Minister said in Puthuppally that Kerala has seen no price rise. "The Chief Minister and his family sit in the ivory tower. They don't know the troubles of ordinary people," he said and added, "We are ashamed to say that Kerala's Chief Minister is the only person in the state who does not know of prices in the state".
He alleged that the cybergoons of the CPM were hunting down women, female journalists, and their families. "They are doing it with the permission of the Chief Minister," he alleged.
The byelection in Puthuppally was declared 22 days after Oommen Chandy died. "Soon after that, the CPM's district leaders launched their cyber attacks on Oommen Chandy. One CPM spokesperson put up three Facebook posts insulting Oommen Chandy and his family," said Satheesan.
When the people and the UDF pushed back, CPM state secretary M V Govindan assured that the LDF would not say anything against the family.
But later, the party brought in "loose cannon" from Idukki to insult Oommen Chandy, he said.
The cybergoons compared Oommen Chandy's daughter and Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter. "They are not the same. Oommen Chandy's daughter has not taken Rs 1.72 crore from any company without offering any service," he said.
The Congress leader said the Chief Minister and his family were lying in muck and trying to splash the muck on people walking past. It has been seven months since the Chief Minister of Kerala has opened his mouth, he said. "He won't meet reporters or answer opposition's questions," he said.
He said the election result would be a warning to the Chief Minister and the government neck-deep in corruption.
Satheesan said people across Kerala want to vote against the government on September 5. "But only people of Puthuppally can vote. Go to the polling booths on September 5 and give a mega margin to Chandy Oommen," he said.
