Kerala Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan and other senior Congress leaders launched a fierce attack on the CPI(M)-led state government during the Nilambur by-election campaign, calling it the “semifinal to the coming Kerala Legislative Assembly election,” and highlighting “the worst-ever financial crisis” in the state and an “unholy nexus” between the BJP and CPI(M).
“We take this as an opportunity to expose the government of the last nine years. We are prosecuting the Chief Minister and his cabinet. Our job is to advocate for the people and the state,” Satheesan said.
Describing the “worst-ever financial crisis” in Kerala, Satheesan alleged, “The treasuries are empty. Public debts are going to become ₹7 lakh crore. The government has to pay huge amounts to various sectors. For example, there are no medicines in hospitals.”
Emphasising the importance of public health in Kerala, he said, “The government is not paying the Medical Services Corporation, so they are unable to pay the suppliers.”
“In Kerala, there is Maveli Stores, which was a very good instrument for market intervention to control prices. Unfortunately, there are no subsidised items in the retail outlets. Government employees, social security pensions, carers, and almost all the welfare boards are in crisis. Fiscal management is very poor, but corruption is very high,” he observed.
He further alleged an “unholy nexus between the BJP and CPI(M) in Kerala,” citing events at Raj Bhavan: “For example, the government in Raj Bhavan organised a series of events and exhibitions. Instead of inviting defence experts, the Governor invited Gurumurthy, an RSS leader. He made a speech defaming the Chief Minister and the Congress. It’s very unfair.”
“We made our strong protests and demanded that the Chief Minister and government communicate with Raj Bhavan, but they kept mum. Raj Bhavan shouldn’t be used for political and religious purposes, but the Chief Minister has been keeping mum because he doesn’t want to disturb the Central government,” Satheesan said.
He also alleged that, “CPI(M) is trying to communalise the entire thing. During the Lok Sabha elections, they were always talking about CAA, trying to appease the minorities. But it miserably failed. After the Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Minister and CPI(M) have been trying to appease the majority.”
Referring to comments made by the Chief Minister in The Hindu article, Satheesan said, “That’s why the Chief Minister himself referred to the Hindu article where he spoke about Malappuram in a negative way, calling it a place of anti-social activities, gold smuggling, where they use the money for anti-national activities.”
He further stated, “When Priyanka won, he said it’s only because of the support from extremists. In Nilambur itself, she got more than 95,000 votes,” asking, “Are all the Nilamburians who voted for Nilambur extremists?”
The opposition leader asserted, “We never do this type of appeasement. We are against both minority extremism and majority extremism.”
Responding to controversies around Welfare Party support for the UDF, Satheesan noted, “This election, the Welfare Party supported UDF — not only this, but for the last several elections. Now the CPI(M) is saying that Jamaat-e-Islami and the Welfare Party are extremists, but for the last three decades this same Jamaat was with CPI(M).”
“When they were with CPI(M), they were secular. When they left CPI(M)’s support, they became extremists,” Satheesan said, calling this “nonsense.”
“They got support from the PDP and some Hindu Mahasabha faction. If you support CPI(M), you are secular; otherwise, you are communal. This is double standards,” he said.
He further alleged that the issue of wild animals has been a serious concern for years due to human-animal conflict, and it was the Opposition that “continuously raised this matter.”
He said Nilambur’s former MLA, P. V. Anwar, the whistleblower exposing the alleged corruption of the Left Front government, whose resignation in January led to this by-election, “used to justify every wrong action done by them,” adding that the biggest issue the UDF raised in the Assembly was the distress of farmers and tribal communities, which the government “has never addressed.”
In the last five years, over 40 people, including farmers, have lost their lives in wildlife encounters in the Nilambur forest region.
He pointed out that although the Centre clarified that the Chief Wildlife Warden is empowered to act, “the state government is not taking action to eliminate dangerous animals” and “has not spent even a single penny in the last four years to protect the people,” nor has it adopted “new methods followed in other states and abroad.”
Calling Aryadan Shoukath a “capable candidate” carrying the legacy of his father, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said, “It is very evident that Aryadan Shoukath will win this election with a thumping majority. The people of Kerala are expecting a spectacular victory in Nilambur. The anti-incumbency factor is playing a big role in this Assembly election.”
Congress MP Jebi Mather expressed hope, stating, “In Nilambur, we have a credible, experienced, and committed candidate, and it is definitely going to be a UDF victory. Aryadan Shoukath and Congress have always stood with the people, and the anti-incumbency against the government is very high. The common man, farmers — everyone — wants the UDF to win.”
“The people of Kerala have made up their minds to give a befitting reply to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan,” she said.
Congress MP Dean Kuriakose claimed, “Even in traditional Left strongholds, where people have been voting for the CPI(M) for generations — including many women who believe in the party — there is now growing dissatisfaction with the government’s leadership. They are hoping for a change in governance. There is a strong hidden wave of support in favour of the UDF, and it will win by a large majority.”
The Nilambur Assembly constituency in Kerala’s Malappuram district, vacated following the resignation of MLA P. V. Anwar in January, will go to the polls for a bye-election on June 19, with the results to be declared on June 23.
-led state government during the Nilambur by-election campaign, calling it the “semifinal to the coming Kerala Legislative Assembly election,” and highlighting “the worst-ever financial crisis” in the state and an “unholy nexus” between the BJP and CPI(M).){kind=link}