AS the Kerala Samrakshana Jathas are travelling across the state, huge crowds are greeting the LDF leaders in the jatha, indicating that many sections of people are supporting the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The two jathas led by CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran each, would culminate on March 2 at Thrissur.

 

The southern jatha headed by Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has begun from Putharikandam in Thiruvananthapuram on February 14 and the northern jatha led by Kanam Rajendran, began at Kasargod two days later. The southern jatha has received warm support from the people from all walks of life in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Alappuzha districts and entered Ernakulam district. 

 

Lakhs of people in Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts greeted the northern jatha so far. People belonging to flood-hit districts like Idukki, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha expressed gratitude to the leaders of LDF for the government’s unparalleled performance in evacuating the victims and for the rehabilitation measures in the flood affected areas. 

 

The jathas have been progressing amidst a turbulent political atmosphere created by the dual political murder in Kasargod. The entire opposition and a large section of media are trying to malign the LDF and project the front as trouble-makers. Though the culprits have been taken into custody and the CPI(M) leadership has assured a stringent political action, the opposition and mainstream media are trying to discredit the Party and the LDF.

 

But a large number of people who believe in the sincerity of the LDF and the CPI(M) have sent a strong signal showing that such false propaganda would not succeed in Kerala. The people who are benefited by the LDF government’s pro-people measures formed the major chunk of the crowd cheering for the LDF leaders.

 

The speakers including Kodiyeri and Kanam, spoke about the relevance of the Left movement in India. The strengthening of the Left, secular and democratic forces is essential in the current political scenario of India. The leaders charged the Congress with being soft on the Hindutva forces.

 

In a massive meeting in Alappuzha, Kodiyeri said that some media groups are acting like the agents of the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF). It gives the impression that these newspapers are not interested in publishing stories about the jathas and he said that it is  customary that the Left movement  did not enjoy the patronage of any media group before either.

 

The murder of Youth Congress workers in the state is condemnable and the CPI(M) has announced strict action against any Party member if involved in the crime. Even after this, the Congress workers abused state revenue minister, E Chandrasekharan, when he visited the houses of slain Youth Congress workers. They obstructed P Karunakaran, MP and when the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had planned to visit the victims’ houses, the district Congress committee leadership threatened  protests. 

 

Many CPI(M) offices and houses of CPI(M) workers were gutted by the Congress goons. The CPI(M) has lost more than five hundred activists in political violence in the state while the media depicts CPI(M) as the Party of murderers.

The Congress is in no way an alternative to the BJP and the entire leadership of the Congress has defected to the BJP in many states. The reliability of Congress is at stake and it was not able to form the government in Manipur and Goa where they emerged as the single largest party. The BJP succeeded in forming the government in these states and some top leaders too have joined the BJP, Kodiyeri said in his speech.