Kodiyeri Balakrishnan says K M Mani invite shows Muslim League is weak

MALAPPURAM: CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said on Tuesday that the invitation to Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M Mani to support the UDF in Malappuram byelection was an indication of a lack of confidence in the Muslim League. “Mani left UDF much earlier realising that the front has no future. Now P.K. Kunhalikutty also wants to leave for Delhi realising the UDF would never make a comeback in near future,” he said during the inaugural speech at the LDF election convention. Kunhalikutty must have resigned from his Vengara Assembly seat if he was so sure about winning the Malappuram Lok Sabha seat, Mr Kodiyeri said.

The LDF would put up a great contest in Malappuram by making leads in UDF strongholds in the constituency. There are enough incidences of LDF defeating bigwigs by pitting younger candidates and Kunhalikutty too faced such a defeat in Kuttippuram, he said. Senior CPM leader Paloli Muhammed Kutty, LDF convener Vaikom Vishwan, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran, NCP state president Uzhavoor Vijayan, INL secretary A.P Abdul Wahab and Ministers Kadannapally Ramachandran and Dr. K.T Jaleel, V. Abdur-ahman MLA were also present at the convention. Earlier, the LDF candidate M.B Faisal submitted his nomination to the district collector Amit Meena who acts as the district election officer.