Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary Binoy Viswam has alleged a tacit deal between the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to cross vote in 12 Assembly constituencies in the State.
At a meet-the-press programme organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists here on Thursday, Mr. Viswam said the anti-Left Democratic Front (LDF) campaign by the UDF and the BJP was aimed as a diversion from this strategy. The UDF alleged that the LDF and the BJP had an understanding, while the BJP alleged that the LDF and the UDF had a deal. These charges were aimed at hiding the UDF and BJP’s “under the table” deal.
Deliberate move
Mr. Viswam said finding itself without candidates in Guruvayur, Thalassery, and Devikulam was a deliberate move on the part of the BJP. Now, they were saying the UDF candidate should win in Guruvayur. In Thalassery, the BJP wanted the LDF to lose. This was proof of the UDF-BJP understanding, Mr. Viswam said.
The Guruvayur, Thalassery, and Devikulam model would be effected in nine other constituencies, he said, saying the names of the segments would be revealed at the right time.
Anti-Left politics
The UDF-BJP joint campaign would be rejected by the people, the CPI leader said. He contended that this deal was nothing new in Kerala politics, and in fact existed for decades. Despite trying to outshout the other that there was no such understanding, it was evident to all that they shared an understanding based on anti-Left politics.
Mr. Viswam said only if the sun rose in the west would the LDF join hands with the BJP. Both the parties represented different values, the LDF stood for democratic values and the BJP for fascism. The LDF could not imagine any understanding with the BJP ever. Such propaganda would not stand the test of reality.
Expressing confidence in a victory for the LDF in the elections, Mr. Viswam said that in the last few days before polling day, it was evident which way the wind was blowing. The BJP, he asserted, was not a serious contender in the State, saying its claims of three-cornered fights in a majority of the constituencies were off the mark. The contest here was between the LDF and the UDF-BJP, with the BJP being a partner of the UDF, he said.
