Alappuzha: Resentment is brewing over a 12-page booklet that highlights major achievements of A M Ariff MP. The booklet was released as part of the election campaign
The rival fronts have come out against the “purported move” by Ariff, the lone CPM MP from Kerala, to pocket the credit for various central schemes implemented in Alappuzha over the past five years. The Left Front has already printed 20,000 copies of the booklet, with glossy papers, to canvass votes for Ariff in the constituency where development is the major issue of debate.
Among the projects for which the MP has sought credit include the long-delayed Alappuzha Bypass, the National Virology Institute, allocation of Rs 2660 cr for Railway track doubling between Ernakulam and Alappuzha, besides Rs 8.5 cr each for renovation of the railway stations at Alappuzha and Kayamkulam.
Development has been one of the major poll planks of the three leading fronts in Alappuzha, which has witnessed some big-ticket investment projects over the past few years such as the construction of the six-lane NH, the Thuravoor-Aroor elevated highway and the Bypass, among others.
"Be it the national highway or the railway, these are all extensions of a country-wide development program initiated under the Narendra Modi government. A team has been assigned to fact-check the booklet brought out by the LDF and all their false claims will be brought to the public during a media briefing to be held within the next couple of days," said M V Gopakumar, BJP district president.
The UDF too has launched a scathing attack on Ariff . "Let alone initiating road development, Ariff could not even make effective interventions to address the issues concerning the alignment of the NH along the Thuravur-Alappuzha-Kayamkulam stretch," pointed out A A Shukoor, KPCC General Secretary.
He also pointed to the “inability” of the incumbent MP to bring any major development scheme for Alappuzha. "The bridges at Nerekadavau and Thaikattussery have been lying unfinished for years, while the Andhakaranazhy Tourism circuit, which was established during the tenure of K C Venugopal as the MP, has been lying abandoned," he added.
It was a delegation led by K C Venugopal, which even included a CPM leader P P Chittaranjan, which met the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2004 and submitted a memorandum to complete the construction of the Alappuzha bypass, Shukoor claimed. He said a photo of the meeting would be used in negating the claims of Ariff.
The LDF leaders said they stick to the claims and challenged the rival fronts for a debate on developmental issues.
