The Hindu : Kerala News : LDF to raise lottery ban in House

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 31, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

LDF to raise lottery ban in House

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 30. The Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) has decided to mount a scathing attack on the Government for the ban on State lottery.

The Opposition is likely to use the zero hour to focus on the plight of the estimated 3 lakh persons dependent on State lottery for their survival consequent on the blanket ban enforced by the Oommen Chandy Government. Although the Chief Minister has announced that a scheme to rehabilitate the lottery agents and vendors would be announced, it has not helped mitigate the impact of the ban.

The Opposition sees the ban on the State lottery as a game being played by the Government to cover up the setback it had suffered in the Supreme Court in the online lottery case. The Supreme Court had directed the State Government to tender apology for its failure to carry out the Court directives in connection with the case.

The LDF leadership is also toying with the idea of raising the Government's failure to forward to the Centre the proposals and projects that it wished to be included in the Union Budget for 2004-'05. The CPI(M) State secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, has described the Government failure a sign of the administrative impasse in the State and Opposition leaders were in touch today to work out the strategy to raise the issue in the Assembly.

Commenting on the issue, the RSP State secretary, T.J. Chandrachoodan, told The Hindu that the Government's failure to respond to the Union Finance Ministry's communication seeking the State's suggestions and proposals for the Union Budget was indefensible. Even Tamil Nadu, which was worst-affected by the tsunami disaster, had responded to the communication in time and its representatives to New Delhi to present the State's case.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala