Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that if taking a firm and uncompromising stand against communal forces is sought to be misinterpreted as "arrogance" on his part, he will continue to do so as he has always undertaken the responsibility of fighting communalism.
Replying to the demand for grants in Assembly on Wednesday, Mr Viajyan said the poll reversal was a temporary setback and it was the outcome of rightwing forces, including the media, and arch communalists misleading a section of people, once pro-LDF, and winning them over to the opposite camp.
There were concerted efforts to vitiate the secular atmosphere prevailing in the State and forces behind this move preferred a supplicant Government. "We resisted this and this resistance would continue, call it arrogance or what. We will redouble our efforts to spread Renaissance values", said Mr Vijayan.
He pointed out that there was a sustained campaign to mislead people on the Sabarimala issue. "We would examine whether a section of people was misled. Pretenders like Chitanadapuri had openly canvassed support for the UDF in all but two constituencies, which is proof of the vicious campaign against the Government, though we were able to neutralize it", said Mr Vijayan.
The LDF was not going to be wiped out by a mere electoral setback. The UDF was able to make major gains by creating the impression that Rahul Gandhi would form the next Government and, in creating this impression, the Muslim League relegated the Congress to the background.
How can they justify aligning with Jama'ath Islami and the SDPI, the epicentre of terror, to defeat the LDF, he asked, hoping that the pro-LDF section of voters who switched to the UDF, hoping Rahul would checkmate Modi, had by now realized they were misled and would soon gravitate to the Left and secular camp.
