Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Polit Bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has commended Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K. Mani for his party's decision to relinquish the Kuttiyadi seat. The KC(M) decision is proof of the unity in the Left Democratic Front (LDF), he said.
Mr. Balakrishnan’s praise for Mr. Mani came at the LDF election convention held in the Thiruvananthapuram Assembly constituency on Sunday.
The LDF had initially allocated 13 seats to the KC(M) and the party's decision to transfer Kuttiyadi to the CPI(M) was proof of the unity in the LDF, Mr. Balakrishnan said.
The KC(M) had decided to hand over the Kuttiyadi seat to the CPI(M) following discussions, Mr. Balakrishnan said. Victory in seats was key to ensuring continuation of LDF rule and the KC(M) understood this, he said.
The LDF would make only those promises it could keep, Mr. Balakrishnan said, highlighting the achievements of the Pinarayi Vijayan government over the past five years, in particular, its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For years, the Congress promised an end to poverty. The BJP government assured jobs. None of these promises were kept, he said. The BJP government has put on sale the public sector units and was bent on writing away the sky, sea and land to the corporates, Mr. Balakrishnan said.
CPI leader C. Divakaran and other LDF leaders attended the mandalam convention.
