The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Saturday decided to fight the local body elections on an anti-corruption platform.
KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran said “an vote against corruption” was the rallying cry of the Congress.
The leadership of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government were up to their necks in a morass of corruption and organised criminality, he said.
Ordinary party workers were reluctant to approach voters and seek their mandate. The government had turned IT@school, Life Mission, E-Mobility, K-Phone, Rebuild Kerala, Smart City, and Downtown projects into avenues of corruption.
It had allowed economic offenders and anti-nationals to use the heft of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to abet gold smuggling, money-laundering, and racketeering in foreign currency. Overlapping enquiries by Central agencies into the scandals had come awkwardly close to the CPM leadership, its kin, and the CMO.
The government had ruined COVID-19 pandemic management. Current infection and mortality rates belied the rosy picture the government had attempted to project with the help of expensive public relations agencies.
Mr. Ramachandran also accused the government of depriving local bodies of plan funds and halting grassroots development.
Congress would also expose the pro-Corporate and anti-farmer policies of the Central government. It would highlight the attacks against Dalits and minorities by Sangh Parivar cadres. Congress would not entertain rebel candidates. It would announce the names of presidents, mayors and chairpersons ahead of the results. The party would reflect the aspirations of all social groups. For one, it had opened discussions with the Dheevara Sabha.
However, Mr. Ramachandran did not elaborate whether the PAC had approved an electoral alliance with the Welfare Party, the political arm of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
By one account, the PAC was cold to the overtures by Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leader P.C. George. It also felt that the United Democratic Front (UDF) did not require another Kerala Congress splinter group as a coalition partner. If P.C. Thomas was interested in working in tandem with the UDF, he was welcome to try his prospects in the Kerala Congress headed by P.J. Joseph.
