Wayanad (Kerala), Feb 10 (IANS) Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday slammed the CPI-M-led LDF government of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging deep administrative failure, political intolerance, and gross neglect of disaster-hit Wayanad, and claiming that even “good communists and Left fellow-travellers now want the CPI-M out of power more than the UDF does”.
Satheesan told the media at the Samvadikkaam Puthuyugathinayi interaction programme held as part of the Puthuyuga Yatra that the voices emerging from cultural activists and former Left sympathisers reflected the true public mood in Kerala.
“When people hear the phrase ‘Pinarayi Three’, they instinctively put their hands on their heads. They are worried about what will happen to Kerala if this regime continues for a third term,” he said.
The Congress leader said poets and cultural figures such as K. Satchidanandan and Sara Joseph had merely articulated what ordinary citizens were thinking, and accused the government of responding to dissent with intolerance.
“Everyone has the freedom to criticise. What is being criticised is the Pinarayi regime, its policies and its extreme right-wing style of governance, which has disillusioned even former Left fellow-travellers,” he said.
Turning to Wayanad, the Opposition leader painted a grim picture of continuing distress in the Mundakkai–Chooralmala disaster zone.
Survivors, he said, still lacked basic access roads and bridges to reach their land, many eligible families were excluded from beneficiary lists, and follow-up medical assistance was not being provided.
Despite having Rs 1,684 crore, including CMDRF funds and Central assistance, the government was failing to spend money collected to help the poor, he alleged.
Satheesan also highlighted the “deplorable” condition of the Wayanad Medical College, pointing out that patients were being reverse-referred to district hospitals due to the lack of even basic facilities like an X-ray unit.
“The health sector is on a ventilator, and Wayanad Medical College stands as proof,” he said.
On the political front, Satheesan claimed the LDF was internally fractured, with trust deficits even between the CPI-M and the CPI, contrasting it with what he described as the unity and stability of “Team UDF”.
He reiterated that the UDF would prepare a comprehensive Wayanad development document and announce time-bound solutions before the conclusion of the Puthuyuga Yatra.
Accusing the government of “harassing the poor even after disaster”, Satheesan said money collected for Wayanad victims had been parked in the Treasury without providing even basic medical help, adding that “apart from a few ministers staging a one-time show, the government has completely abandoned the affected people”.
Kerala goes to the assembly polls in April/May.
–IANS
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