LS polls in Kerala: INDIA bloc allies CPI(M), Congress trade allegations on CAA, Kannur blast

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and the opposition Congress, both part of the INDIA bloc, on Sunday traded allegations against each other on various issues, including CAA and the recent Kannur blast, as the Lok Sabha poll campaign intensified in the state.

Polling will be held in the state on April 26.

At a LDF public meeting in Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterated his accusations of Congress being silent on the implementation of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and various central government policies that are against the interests of the state.

He contended the Congress never opposed the Central government policies that are financially choking the state and obstructing its welfare measures.

Vijayan went on to claim that the past experience of the country has been that the Congress' stand was always similar to that of BJP and, therefore, they cannot be trusted to oppose the saffron party.

He further alleged the BJP government at the Centre is actually taking forward the ''anti-people policies of the earlier UPA-II government.'' Hitting back at the CPI(M) and Vijayan, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan referred to the recent bomb blast in Kannur that claimed the life of one person and remarked that the Left party was no different from terrorist organisations that train their cadres in making explosives.

Congress has been alleging the CPI(M) workers were involved in the blast in which three persons were also injured and four others have been arrested.

According to police, all eight persons, including the one who died, who were involved in the incident were CPI(M) workers, an allegation denied by the Left party.

CPI(M) has claimed that all those involved in the incident were sidelined from the party as they had attacked workers of the Left political organisation in the past.

In response to these claims by the CPI(M), Satheesan questioned why local leaders of the party then visited the house of the man killed in the blast.

He alleged that those involved in the incident were rejected as party workers by the CPI(M) keeping LS polls in mind, and said that after the election, the party's stand would change.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) acting president M M Hassan too made similar allegations.

He claimed the person who died in the blast would be later treated as a martyr and his family would get jobs and financial support.

Hassan termed the making of a bomb as an act of terrorism and claimed the incident was a result of the failure of Central and state intelligence agencies.

He said the police need to find out who were going to be the targets of the bombs that were made there.

On the other hand, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan continued to deny allegations of the party's involvement in the incident.

On being asked why local CPI(M) leaders went to the house of the person who died in the blast, he said he did not know about that.

Meanwhile, police said raids were being carried out in various parts of Kannur district with the aid of bomb disposal squads following the blast that occurred on Friday at Panur.

The blast had occurred during the making of a country-made bomb. HMP/CORR HMP SS

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)