Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurating the delegates meeting at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Alappuzha district conference at Haripad on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SURESH ALLEPPEY
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government will act tough against those insulting and attacking women, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
He was inaugurating a public meeting in connection with the valedictory function of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Alappuzha district conference at Haripad on Sunday.
“The government is committed to protect women. We will initiate action against those outraging the modesty of women and targeting them through words, looks or actions. We will not tolerate any forms of attacks on womanhood,” Mr. Vijayan said.
Mr. Vijayan accused the United Democratic Front (UDF) of trying to align with communal forces for votes. He said the Indian Union Muslim League, a UDF constituent, was open to an alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Social Democratic Party of India. The CPI(M) and the LDF, he said, would oppose both majority and minority communalism.
The Chief Minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government was trying to choke Kerala financially and attempting to stall its development. He accused the Centre of trying to destroy the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). “Development projects to the tune of ₹90,000 crore have been implemented under the KIIFB. The Union government is trying to derail the State’s growth. When the Centre moved against the KIIFB, the UDF remained silent,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan said the LDF government was committed to the State’s progress. “By November 1, 2025, extreme poverty will be eradicated in Kerala. All the 64,000 families identified as extremely poor will be lifted out of poverty. The government will clear welfare pension dues,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that poverty was rising nationwide under the BJP rule. “Only the left front can effectively oppose the wrong policies of the Centre, which prioritises corporate interests over the common man,” he said.
He said the CPI(M) had resolved internal issues, corrected wrong tendencies and was moving forward with confidence.
The three-day CPI(M) Alappuzha district conference concluded at Haripad with R. Nazar re-elected as the party district secretary.
Mr. Nazar first assumed the position in 2018 after Saji Cherian vacated the post upon winning the Chengannur Assembly bypoll. He was re-elected to the position in 2022.
The district conference elected a 46-member district committee and representatives for the CPI(M) State conference. While four new faces have been included in the district committee, five were excluded. The new members are MLAs U. Prathibha and M.S. Arunkumar, Mararikulam area secretary Raghunath and Alappuzha area secretary Ajay Sudheendran. Those excluded were M. Surendran, G. Venugopal, P. Aravindakshan, Jalaja Chandran and N. Sivadasan.
Published – January 12, 2025 08:47 pm IST