People's Democracy

IN Kerala, in the districts of Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram, a large number of eminent BJP and Congress leaders have resigned from their respective parties and decided to work for the success of the LDF candidates. Of the, the Congressmen tendered their resignations against the opportunistic alliances forged by the leadership of their party for the coming elections. K Krishna Kumar of the Palakkad District Congress Committee has resigned with a large number of followers and decided to work for the LDF. P Muraleedharan, secretary of a mandalam Congress committee in Palakkad district, has also resigned with his followers to work for LDF success.

The leaders who resigned have asserted in their resignation statements that only the LDF, under the leadership of the CPI(M), can protect the secular and democratic fabric of the nation.

In Thiruvananthapuram district also, a number of BJP and Congress leaders and workers have bid farewell to their parties. The resignation of the Congress leaders and workers of the Thiruvananthapuram West constituency was in protest against the pro-BJP policy of the UDF candidate M V Raghavan. The BJP is not contesting against the UDF candidate and Raghavan is approaching the voters as if he were the common candidate of the UDF and the BJP. The resigning leaders of the Congress have stated that there will be further resignations from the party because the present UDF leaders are taking their party and the UDF closer to the BJP.

This trend of opposition to the UDF from its own following is becoming widespread and strong throughout Kerala.