Thiruvananthapuram: BJP state president K Surendran said that the Congress-led UDF has lost its vigour to oppose chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala and as a result, the fight in election to local bodies is between CPM-led LDF and BJP-led NDA.
“Congress stands decimated in national politics. It’s Indian Union Muslim League that holds the sway in UDF. Christian minority that used to put its weight behind UDF is worried over IUML’s rising prominence. The split in Kerala Congress has further wrecked UDF. There is really no difference between leaders on either side. While the LDF government is facing grave corruption charges, the leaders in the opposition too are caught in corruption charges,” Surendran told reporters in a meet-the-press programme organized by Kesari Smaraka Journalist Memorial Trust here.
The stories of corruption have marred the image that Kerala is a state where corruption is relatively less compared to other states. But those things have changed now. Now, the chief minister and other ministers are facing charges one after another, he said.
“This is a rare election that sees the two major political forces on their defensive mode. Corruption will be the only major factor that would influence voters and NDA will benefit from that,” Surendran claimed.
The BJP leader said several questions remained unanswered in the bar bribery case.
“It was a fact that crores were pooled from bar owners. Where did that money go? Pinarayi Vijayan has scuttled the bar bribery case and let off all UDF leaders off the hook. What benefit did he derive from that?” he asked.
Surendran alleged that the leaders who made large amounts of money as kickbacks were investing the same in foreign countries. He said finance minister T M Thomas Isaac was plundering tax money in the name of KIIFB.