The UDF will continue its protest against the Left government by following the COVID-19 protocol, convenor MM Hassan has said. "The protests will be held on October 12 at three select places across Assembly constituencies with the participation of five people. There won't be any crowd. The protests will be held in all the 140 constituencies of the state," he said at a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was imposed in Kerala on October 3 and will be in effect until October 31 amidst a surge in the COVID-19 cases. The Opposition has been flayed for organising crowded protests without following COVID-19 protocol while demanding the resignation of Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel over the gold scam.
Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala , who is also UDF Chairman, on September 28 had said that the UDF won't hold direct protests any more as the COVID cases were increasing day by day.
Hassan also slammed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for not criticising the Union government's policies including the Farm Bills and for not speaking a word against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Why does the state government not say anything against the BJP government? The benefit of this would be for Pinarayi Vijayan and the Lavalin case. No one knows when this case will be taken for trial and when the verdict will come out," Hassan said. The Lavlin case dates back to 1995 when Pinarayi was Electricity Minister. He is accused of monetary gains from a deal with Canadian company SNC-Lavalin.
Hassan had also said, “There won’t be any more discussions with the Jose K Mani faction of the Kerala Congress (M). "It's for them to decide to be part of the alliance (the United Democratic Front). The expansion of the coalition is not on cards right now," Hassan reportedly said. The KC(M) has been a long-time ally of the Congress, but the factional feud of the party had worsened after the death of its patriarch KM Mani in April 2019.
Since then a faction led by Mani’s son and Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani has distanced itself from the Congress while the latter extended support to the rival faction led by PJ Joseph.
Hassan took over as UDF convenor on Saturday. He succeeded Benny Behanan who quit the post on September 27.
A contemporary of senior leaders and former Chief Ministers Oommen Chandy and AK Antony, Hassan was made president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee in March 2017. His tenure lasted 18 months.
A five-time legislator, the 73- year old has been a minister as well in the UDF government of 2001-2006. Hassan is a prominent leader of the A group led by Oommen Chandy.
He entered student politics at the age of 16. Hassan, however, in a career spanning decades has failed to garner mass support, not being a crowd puller.