Pinarayi Vijayan accuses Central government of creating communal discord

‘State has ensured equitable and holistic development’

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan interacts with Ministers after inaugurating the valedictory of the first anniversary celebrations of the LDF government in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. | Photo Credit: S. MAHINSHA

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has stood firmly as an antithesis to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre which he accused of violating Constitutional values.

Inaugurating the valedictory function of the first anniversary of the LDF government here on Thursday, Mr. Vijayan said the State has taken a less-charted path to ensure equitable and holistic development. Accusing the Centre of intensifying globalisation through policies that have been thrust upon States, he claimed that the LDF government has succeeded in presenting a people’s alternative to such tendencies.

“At a time the Central government has focused on privatising public-sector undertakings, we have been exploring all options to salvage them. Similarly, the LDF government has created numerous jobs in various sectors, while a virtual freeze on recruitment by the Centre has begun to adversely impact major government-owned enterprises, including BSNL and the Railways,” he said.

He also accused the Centre of attempting to divide the country on communal lines and thereby trigger unrest among the common populace. Reiterating the government’s opposition towards the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he alleged that a number of surveys have been initiated in various parts of the country to spur discords.

“On the other hand, the LDF government had recently undertaken a survey to identify the most impoverished families in our society in order to improve their living standards.,” he said.

Title deeds

While elaborating on the government’s achievements, the Chief Minister said as many as 54,535 title deeds were issued within a year. The previous LDF government had distributed 1,76,000 title deeds in all. The government also launched 14,403 firms in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector that has received investments amounting to ₹373 crore.

He also said the road construction for the ₹5,253-crore Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road project will get under way in November after completing the tender formalities. The State’s share in the project that will transform the State capital will be ₹1,040 crore.

Mr. Vijayan also released the progress report on the first year’s governance on the occasion. Revenue Minister K. Rajan presided over the function.