Kannur: Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthanandan on Thursday ridiculed the UDF manifesto saying he could not stop laughing after reading it which promised a corruption-free rule. “Every minister in the Oommen Chandy government, except P.K. Jayalakshmi, is facing corruption charges,” he said addressing an election meeting at Chakkarakkal in Dharmadam constituency, from where politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan is contesting.
He started his speech by requesting the huge gathering to vote for Mr Pinarayi Vijayan and give him a huge margin. “Today while coming to the venue, I read the news on UDF’s manifesto in the newspapers. It is a comedy which says they will give a corruption-free rule if they come to power. I couldn't stop laughing for a long time after reading that promise,” he quipped amidst laughter and cheers from the crowd.
He cited the corruption charges against each minister. “There are a total of 136 cases registered against the ministers of this government. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has 31 cases, K.Babu has eight, Ramesh Chennithala nine, K.M Mani eight…,” VS went on naming all the ministers except Ms Jayalakshmi.
VS also referred to the promises made by the LDF in the election manifesto and the positives of the previous LDF governments. Before concluding his speech, VS once again requested the people to vote for Pinarayi Vijayan on the party symbol.
Though the Kannur campaign by VS assumed significance in the backdrop of Mr Pinarayi’s comments that the party resolution against the senior leader still stands, he didn't mention it in his speech. He also sought votes for Kannur constituency candidate Kadannappally Ramachandran, who was present at the function. VS addressed election meetings at seven places in the district.
