Adoor, March 30 (IANS). Rahul Gandhi started the assembly election campaign in Kerala on Monday. He made several welfare promises to voters ahead of the elections on April 9. He alleged “secret collusion” between the ruling Left parties and the BJP.
Addressing a huge rally in Adoor, Rahul Gandhi described the election fight as a direct contest between the UDF and the Left-BJP indirect alliance.
“On one side there is UDF and on the other side there is an alliance of Left and BJP,” he said. Citing the “hidden hand”, he argued that the BJP does not see the Left as a real challenger at the national level.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that leaders who genuinely oppose the BJP face pressure and scrutiny. Citing the cases against him, he said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Left leadership do not face such intense scrutiny.
Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of maintaining silence on the controversial issue of Sabarimala in Kerala so that CPI(M) is not politically harmed.
The Congress MP alleged that the Left government in Kerala no longer represents the true Left ideology and is instead pursuing “corporate-friendly” policies similar to the BJP.
He pointed to the plight of rubber farmers, claiming that the sector has been neglected and criticized both the Center and the state for failing to protect workers and small growers.
Presenting UDF as a pro-people option, Rahul Gandhi announced several important assurances. This includes free travel for women in state-run buses, a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for college-going girls and increasing the welfare pension to Rs 3,000.
Rahul Gandhi also promised a health insurance cover of Rs 25 lakh for each family, loans of Rs 5 lakh to promote small scale enterprises and the formation of a dedicated ministry for senior citizens.
Gandhi said Kerala should strengthen small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and agriculture instead of relying on imports. “The microphone through which I am speaking is ‘Made in China’, it should be made in Kerala,” he said.
–IANS
OP/VC