Paravoor: Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging a covert understanding between the CPM and BJP in several constituencies in Kerala. He was addressing media here during his election campaign.

Reiterating his charge of a CPM-BJP deal, Satheesan claimed that such an arrangement exists in nearly 10 constituencies, including Palakkad, Konni, Ettumanoor, Tripunithura, Chengannur, Manjeshwar, Ranni and Aranmula.

“We will break the CPM-BJP deal this time. Pinarayi gets provoked when the issue is raised. But I would like to remind him that he had won his first election in 1987 with the support of the RSS. Now, he is accusing the Congress and the IUML of having a deal with the BJP,” he said.

Referring to the Chief Minister’s interview with actor Mohanlal, Satheesan alleged that the LDF was using government funds for election campaigning. He demanded that the amount spent on the interview be repaid to the state exchequer. An RTI document had revealed that over ₹11 lakh was spent on the interview.

“Within six months, the state government had spent crores for political campaigns. I never criticised CM’s interview with Mohanlal. He has every right to do it. But it should not be done on public funds. I appeal to CM to repay the fund spent on the interview,” he said. 

The Congress leader also criticised the Chief Minister for allegedly using offensive language against political opponents.

“Communist leaders have degraded themselves by using offensive words against opponents. I don’t know why the Chief Minister is using such language. If this continues, people will feel ashamed of politicians,” he said.

Citing an example, Satheesan said TM Thomas Isaac had referred to Palakkad UDF candidate Ramesh Pisharody as a “joker”.

“That is wrong. Pisharody is a well-known and respected actor in Kerala. He has openly declared his support for the Congress and has participated in election campaigns, including mine. Isaac should not have used such a term,” he added.

Targeting the Chief Minister again, Satheesan alleged that the LDF government had failed to ensure women’s safety.

“Pinarayi did not take action against PT Muhammed and Kollam MLA Mukesh, who faced sexual assault allegations. He has supported offenders. When the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy was in power in 2013, Pinarayi demanded the resignation of then MLA KB Ganesh Kumar over domestic violence charges. Oommen Chandy subsequently sought his resignation. But now, Pinarayi is trying to protect him, terming similar allegations a ‘petty domestic issue’,” Satheesan alleged.

Responding to criticism over the UDF supporting CPM rebels, Satheesan said the Congress would welcome those willing to sever ties with the Left and join his party.