The CPI(M) State secretariat has slammed Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala for “disrupting the distribution” of PDS rice to BPL families.
In a statement here on Saturday, the CPI(M) said Mr. Chennithala’s complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) had deprived low-income families of their quota of rice, pulses, edible oil, sugar and other essentials during the Vishu-Easter-Ramzan festival period.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department has appealed against the ECI’s decision. The LDF government had expanded its PDS net to aid people laid low by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The administration had distributed free food kits to stave off hunger and prevent starvation deaths. The rice distribution for April was a continuation of the welfare scheme initiated in 2020. The government did not implement it on the eve of the polls with an eye to sway voters, as alleged by the UDF.
The CPI(M) urged the ECI to lift the ban on the distribution of PDS grains. It also urged the people to protest the UDF’s declaration of war against them. The CPI(M) urged its workers to initiate house-to-house visits and neighbourhood level meetings to spotlight the UDF’s assault on the people’s welfare.
