AT the call of the CPI(M) Kerala state committee, the people of Kerala have generously contributed Rs 2,06,36,243 for the Chennai flood relief fund. CPI(M) workers all over Kerala reached out to the people on December 9 to collect the fund. The state committee has expressed gratitude to the people for their solidarity to the flood victims in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.

Details of the fund received from districts:

District                                   Rupees

Kasargode:      3,50,000

Kannur:         21,71,793

Wayanad:       3,00,000

THE winter session of Kerala assembly began on a stormy note on November 30 with the Left Democratic Front stepping up attack on the government, seeking excise minister K Babu’s resignation in the bar bribery scam, within and outside of the House. The CPI(M)-led opposition raised the banner of protest as soon as the 11-day session began. The moment Speaker N Sakthan invited Babu to reply to a question, the entire opposition was on its feet. The opposition kept up its protest every time Babu rose to reply to supplementary questions.

FINALLY, Kerala finance and law minister K M Mani has resigned. As Kerala’s longest serving MLA, who has never lost an assembly election and has been a minister for record 13 times, Mani had repeatedly rubbished demands for his resignation after bribery allegations first surfaced one year ago. The allegation was that he took a huge bribe to defer the new policy decisions on closure of all bars in the state, other than those attached to five star hotels. But in November 9, Kerala High Court made scathing attacks against the minister.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) has issued the following statement on November 07, 2015.

THE CPI(M) congratulates the people of Kerala for having voted the LDF to victory in the elections to the local bodies. This verdict is a popular rejection of the UDF government’s anti-people record and corruption. The people have also rebuffed the communal politics of the BJP and its efforts to rally leaders of caste-based organisations.

THE Pattom ward in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has a story to tell. Here a friendly contest has been taking place between the Congress candidate and Kerala Congress (Mani) nominee.  KPCC president VM Sudheeran resides and has a vote in this ward itself. This shows the bad predicament that the Congress led UDF has been facing in the state in the local body election scheduled to be held on November 2 and 5.  During the seat sharing discussion, the district Congress committee had set aside the ward for KC(M).