Former Defence Minister and senior Congress leader AK Antony on Wednesday lashed out against Bharatiya Janata Party, saying the BJP is not suitable for Kerala and its culture. In a press meet at Thiruvananthapuram, AK Antony said that his aim was to see Kerala Assembly without BJP members.
O Rajagopal, who won from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016, is the lone BJP member of Legislative Assembly in Kerala. Referring to this, Antony said that Nemon was an Assembly constituency once held by Congress veteran K Karunakaran and that in the upcoming polls, Karunakaran’s son K Muraleedharan will get back the seat from BJP.
“BJP won there in our adversity. That mistake should be rectified. BJP is not suitable for Kerala, or for Kerala’s culture. An Assembly without BJP is my aim,” said AK Antony, who is also a former chief minister of Kerala.
Meanwhile, lashing out at the Left Front government in Kerala, Antony alleged the hallmark of the five-year LDF tenure under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was arrogance, ego and corruption and people of the state would not give another term for them.
He claimed that the Left leaders and ministers are nowadays attempting to change their arrogant attitude and working style keeping an eye on the April 6 assembly polls.
He also cited the alleged change of stance by Vijayan and Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran on the issue of women's entry in Sabarimala temple to support his argument. "Let's have a look back at the Pinarayi Vijayan government in the state. The hallmark of his five-year rule was arrogance, ego, extravagance and gross corruption in all sectors," he said.
The devotees in the state would not forgive Vijayan on the Sabarimala issue, he said, adding that the stubborn stand taken by the Left government to ensure the entry of young women at the holy shrine had made things complicated.
"Now the Chief Minister is saying that the final verdict of the Supreme Court will be implemented only after consulting with everyone including political parties and devotees and he will not take any hasty decision," Antony said. There would not have been this much damage in the state if the present stand had been taken earlier, he said.
Ridiculing Kadakampally Surendran, the Congress veteran said the minister had done everything as directed by the Chief Minister and is now admitting his mistake. But people would realise this is a sudden change in stand, Antony added. The Devaswom minister had recently expressed regret over the incidents that happened in Sabarimala in connection with the women entry issue two years ago.