Reviewing the performance of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala as it is completing one year, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has said that the trust in the second Pinarayi Vijayan government has plummeted to an all-time low.
In an interview to The Hindu on Tuesday, Mr. Satheesan said that the law-and-order situation in the State had worsened with political and communal murders occurring each passing day. “From Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram, the State has turned into a goonda corridor. Convicts are out on parole. More than 14,000 identified goons are roaming around freely. The police are controlled by the CPI(M) functionaries at district levels. The people are feeling insecure,“ Mr. Satheesan said.
He said that public sectors such as the Kerala State Electricity Board, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and the Kerala Water Authority were in bad shape. “The Health department is the worst. This LDF government, though it secured a second mandate, will not get pass marks,“ Mr. Satheesan said.
On SilverLine
On the SilverLine semi high-speed-rail project, Mr. Satheesan said that the Congress supported the agitations as Kerala was an ecologically fragile land. “Who would want to support a government that has fudged the data in preliminary and final feasibility reports,“ he asked.
The Congress leader said that the government had failed to dispel the doubts in the minds of the people and establish real facts about the project. “None, including the Chief Minister, has answers to environment and social issues raised by experts. Besides, its technical viability and economic feasibility remain questionable,“ Mr. Satheesan said.
He said that the whole population of Kerala would be victims of the SilverLine project. “Though the government is saying that the cost of the project is ₹64,000 crore, the NITI Aayog categorically stated that it was ₹1. 33 lakh crore in 2018. Now the cost has been estimated at ₹2 lakh crore, “ he said, adding that the Centre and Railways had not approved the project.
Constructive opposition
On the role of the Opposition, Mr. Satheesan said that the Congress party had taken a constructive approach towards development. “We are not ready to oppose the government on everything. We tried to deviate from the conventional style adopted by an Opposition party against the ruling front. We raised many issues affecting the fishermen, farmers and tribal people on the floor of the Assembly. But this government failed to act, “ Mr. Satheesan said.
