Thiruvananthapuram:Amid the final round of talks to finalise the candidates, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan kicked off the LDF’s poll campaign in his own constituency Dharamadam in the Kannur district of Kerala here on Monday.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan, who participated in a public convention at Dharmadom, lashed at the Opposition and strongly criticised the UDF.
Stating that the right-wing media and the Opposition are together trying to spin stories to taunt the Left Democratic Front (LDF), Pinarayi alleged that the Opposition has been straying off the track.
The CM also responded to the allegations and remarks made by BJP national leader Amit Shah on Sunday. Addressing the gathering at Dharamadom and stating that Amit Shah is communalism personified, Vijayan said a Union Home Minister reached Kerala and insulted the State. He went on the say that no one needs to teach morality and justice here and said Amit Shah must maintain the decorum of his position.
Pinarayi Vijayan asked whether the Airport where gold smuggling had happened does not come under the Central Government’s ambit and also pointed to the cases against Amit Shah.
Even while Pinarayi Vijayan launched the LDF’s campaign at Dharmadom, CPM workers were protesting in the public against the candidates shortlisted by the leadership at Ponnani and Kuttyadi.
Also Read: 'Gold smuggling accused was pressurised to name Vijayan'
At Ponnani, the protesting CPM workers demanded to consider T M Siddique instead of P Nandakumar who was chosen by the party. At Kuttyadi, the CPM workers insisted on retaining the seat with the party and not allotting it to the Kerala Congress (M), the new ally with the LDF.
Meanwhile, the CPM has decided to field P P Sumod instead of Minister A K Balan’s wife P.K. Jameela, at Tharoor constituency, following widespread protests.
The statement by a policewoman, who had escorted Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, that she had witnessed the accused being ‘pressurised’ by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials to name Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with the case, has put the Central agency on the defensive.
The voice clip that was doing rounds in the social media earlier as that of Swapna Suresh also had reference ‘to being forced to name the CM’ in connection with the case.
The woman cop, who was earlier assigned with Swapna’s protection, has now revealed in front of the special team probing the accused woman’s voice clip that she had witnessed the accused being forced to name the CM.
While the BJP also gets active along with the LDF and the UDF in the poll campaign scenario in Kerala, Twenty 20, a political party based in Kizhakkambalam, in Ernakulam district formed by a business tycoon, has decided to contest in the Assembly elections.
Actor Sreenivasan, film director Siddique and businessman Kochouseph Chittilappilly have joined the Twenty 20 party. Jo Joseph, the son in law of Kerala Congress leader P J Joseph (an ally of the UDF), has also joined the Twenty 20.
Twenty 20 party has announced its candidates at 5 constituencies in Ernakulam district. Twenty 20 had risen to power in two panchayats in the recent local body elections in the State. The entry of Twenty 20 into the Assembly election fray is being closely watched by the major fronts in Kerala.
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