Vol. XLII No. 52 December 30, 2018
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Left Democratic Front Expands in Kerala

THE Left Democratic Front (LDF) has expanded further in Kerala as four more parties, the Indian National League, Kerala Congress (B), Democratic Kerala Congress and Loktantrik Janata Dal join it, said A Vijayaraghavan, the convener of the front.

While the Loktantrik Janata Dal is led at the national level by Sharad Yadav and Veerendra Kumar, MP, MV Sreyams Kumar is the chief at the state-level. The Democratic Kerala Congress led by Francis George, former MP, is a splinter group of Kerala Congress. Kerala Congress (B) is led by R Balakrishna Pillai while his son KB Ganesh Kumar is an LDF MLA in the Kerala assembly. The Indian National League has been supporting LDF for more than two decades and it is led by tribal leader CK Janu who is willing to cooperate with the LDF.  Various other parties are also supporting the front, added A Vijayaraghavan. The cabinet expansion has not been discussed in LDF yet.

On the other hand, the BJP and Congress are jointly pulling back the progressive social mindset of Kerala by trying to destabilise the state through communal polarisation. The LDF is joining hands with the likeminded parties to fight back the communal elements as the BJP puts forward dangerous anti-women politics. The violent protests unleashed by the BJP are meant to undo the progressive values and pull back the state to feudal era, Vijayaraghavan said.