The Left front is not averse to helping the Congress fight the Sangh Parivar where it is “relatively weak,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday.
“There are places where the Left front is relatively weak. In such places, we are not adamant that we will not help the Congress tackle the Sangh Parivar,” Mr. Vijayan said while replying to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s policy address in the Assembly.
Mr. Vijayan, however, drew attention to the dangers of abandoning Nehruvian secularism in favour of soft Hindutva. By insisting on visiting a temple in Assam on Pran Prathista day, what message did Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intend to send across, Mr. Vijayan asked.
“Can you counter extreme communalism with soft Hindutva,” he asked. An uncompromising stand is imperative for protecting secularism and Constitutional values. It should be kept in mind that gimmicks and soft Hindutva would help communal forces, he said.
Mr. Vijayan alleged that Sangh Parivar forces were trying to exploit religious sentiments and continue in power by installing gods ahead of the elections.
Financial embargo
The Chief Minister slammed the BJP-led Union government for imposing a “financial embargo” on Kerala.
He reiterated the State Government stand that Kerala has been deprived of more than ₹57,000 crore in revenue. This includes a dip in the revenue deficit grant of ₹8,400 crore and a reduction of ₹19,600 crore in loan approvals, he said.
The people of Kerala aware of the attempts being made by the Centre to financially choke the State government which has given priority to social welfare and infrastructure development, he said.
‘My hands are clean’
Mr. Vijayan said that his daughter Veena had started her company with her mother’s retirement benefits. He was responding to the Opposition UDF’s charges regarding Exalogic Solutions. Mr. Vijayan said that his hands were clean and that the UDF charges were politically motivated.
