Congress-led UDF deliberately sought SDPI support for LS polls: LDF

Congress-led UDF deliberately sought SDPI support for LS polls: LDF

The ruling LDF in Kerala on Saturday accused the opposition Congress of deliberately seeking votes of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), for the Lok Sabha elections.

LDF convener E P Jayarajan, at the release of the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency's manifesto here, said that the SDPI announcing its support for the Congress-led UDF did not come out of the blue and was the outcome of several rounds of discussions between the two.

''Subsequently, they decided to offer their support to the UDF as requested by it,'' he contended.

He was responding to a query by reporters on the SDPI's offer of support to the UDF, which in turn, had rejected its organisational support.

Jayarajan further said that KPCC president and Congress candidate from Kannur K Sudhakaran had accepted the SDPI support and M M Hassan, the acting KPCC chief and UDF convener, had welcomed all and any votes that came their way.

He said that once during a by-election in Thalassery, E M S Namboodiripad had said that if RSS votes are required to win, then he would prefer to lose.

''That is the courage of the Left front,'' Jayarajan said.

He claimed that the Congress and the UDF were scared of the pro-Left wave in the state and that is why it was seeking the support of the SDPI to win in the elections.

''Not just SDPI, they are also seeking support of another similar organisation,'' he alleged.

The Congress in Kerala had rejected the organisational support announced by the SDPI in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections but had welcomed individual voters to support the UDF.

Jayarajan, while speaking at the event, also accused the Congress-led UDF of being against development as they allegedly do not oppose Central policies that are financially restricting Kerala and bringing to a halt several developmental projects in the state.

He said that there would have been no development in the southern state if not for the initiatives taken by the Left front.

At the event, Jayarajan also referred to the Panur blast and said that making bombs and their use was not something new in that area.

He said making bombs was an illegal activity and claimed that once country-made bombs were thrown at him in Panur thrice on the same day.

Jayarajan said that following the recent blast incident, instead of seeking public support to stop such activities, the Congress and BJP were quick to blame the CPI(M) for it.

''The CPI(M) was blamed to protect actual culprits and prevent any action against them,'' the LDF convener alleged.

He also alleged that BJP and RSS workers have been making bombs in Panur, as has the Congress.

''But this time it is being projected as CPI(M) is responsible for it,'' he said. On April 5, a country-made bomb exploded while it was being put together at Panur in Kannur, killing one person and injuring three others. It has stirred the political waters in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls on April 26.

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