Thiruvananthapuram : If there appeared to be “dark clouds” on the horizon on the eve of the four-year-old Oommen Chandy government in Kerasla, better sense appeared to have prevailed as all differences of opinion within the Congress party and amongst allies have been settled.
The Congress-led ruling United Democratic Front, on Tuesday morning hit the road ‘united’ to take its achievements to the people with four rallies which will wind through the streets of the state.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy flagged off the rally in the capital city. The second biggest ally of the UDF, the Indian Union Muslim League is overseeing the rally that will be launched in their stronghold area of Malappuram by its supreme leader Panakad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal.
At Kozhikode, the rally will be launched by media baron M.P. Veerendra Kumar later in the day.
The fourth rally will be flagged off next week from Kottayam.
Inaugurating the rally in the capital city Chandy said that these rallies are not meant to attack anyone but to take the main objective of the UDF-‘development and care’ to the people and to speak of the achievements of the front.
“In the past four years, all around the state one can see that there is a change in all spheres. One peculiar aspect of Kerala is anything and everything in our state first gets entangled in needless and baseless controversies. The latest controversy is about handing over the proposed Vizhinjam port to Adani Ports. It was the previous Left government that first invited Adani through a government order to take part in developing Vizhinjam. We are prepared to discuss with anyone and everything will be done only in the most transparent manner,” said Chandy.
Kollam Lok Sabha member and RSP leader N.K. Premachandran who was in charge of the rally in the state capital expressed happiness that the Congress has settled the differences in the UDF.
“In the past four years, the Chandy government has done so much for the state, but for some strange reason the people were not told about these. It is the best occasion to reach out to the people and we are happy that it’s being done,” Premachandran told media.
On the flip side, while the Chandy government is reaching out to the people, the BJP has laid a siege to the state secretariat and its national president Amit Shah is in the capital city to inaugurate its protest against the alleged corruption in Chandy government.