Local body polls to be a political referendum: C.K. Rajendran

‘UDF, BJP failed to address waste management issue of Palakkad municipality’

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) said the upcoming local body polls in the State would be more than a mere election to the local bodies. “It will rather be a political referendum of people,” Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary C.K. Rajendran has said.

Addressing a meet-the-press conducted by Palakkad Press Club here on Thursday, Mr. Rajendran said the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party had joined hands in attacking the LDF. “The UDF says its motto is ‘a vote against corruption’. It will be apt if it changes it to ‘a vote for corruption’. The UDF has no moral right to speak against corruption,” said Mr. Rajendran, hinting at the corruption charges being faced by some UDF leaders in the State.

“No LDF Minister is facing any charges of corruption after four-and-half years of rule in the State,” he said.

Welfare projects

Rejecting the allegations levelled by the UDF and the BJP, Mr. Rajendran said the Palakkad district panchayat was uniquely ahead of several others in implementing a wide variety of welfare projects. Palakkad was the only district panchayat in the State to implement a mini-hydroelectric power project at Meenvallam. “Work on another project at Palakkuzhi is on,” he said.

He said the UDF and the BJP had failed to address the waste management issue of Palakkad municipality because of their inefficiency. “The CPI(M) has not scuttled the municipality’s waste treatment project. The party, through its effective intervention in neighbouring Kodumbu panchayat, where the municipality’s dump-yard is located, has helped the municipality resolve its issues,” he said.

Mr. Rajendran challenged the BJP claims of development in the municipality. “The work of the municipal town hall could not yet be completed after several years. The BJP has messed up with the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) project. It failed to execute any of the promises it made in the last election manifesto,” he said.

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