Defence minister A.K. Antony on Sunday warned that one more term for the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front will spell doom for the state.
“The CPI(M) has ruled West Bengal for 35 years and the result of this is poverty and famine,’’ he told reporters on Sunday.
Expressing confidence that the Congress-led United Democratic Front will sweep the polls, Mr Antony said that the big trees in the LDF will be uprooted in the opposition upsurge.
The LDF government cannot escape by putting the blame for Kerala’s state of affairs on the Centre, he said. “The Centre has showered benefits on the state,” said Mr Antony.
“Many of the Central programmes like the Kuttanad package and the Idukki package were not implemented because of the laxity on the part of the state.”
The Centre had also expedited procedures in projects such as the Vizhinjam and Kannur airport but the state government did not move fast on such projects, he added.
In the case of Smart City too, five precious years were wasted over unwanted controversies, said Mr Antony.
Answering a question, he said the UPA does not discount the allegations of corruption against the Central government. “We have instituted enquiry into all the allegations. But how many cases of corruption were registered in Kerala and how many have been convicted?” he asked.
The minister reiterated that Central forces will be deployed in sensitive booths in Kannur.
“This is the decision of the Election Commission,” he said. “Free and fair polls took place in Kannur in the last Lok Sabha polls only because of the presence of Central forces.”