The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Kerala March a non-event: Chandy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 27, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala March a non-event: Chandy

Special Correspondent

`Pinarayi mum on Narendran panel report'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has dubbed the Kerala March taken out by Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan a `non-event' with `hollow slogans.'

During a dinner meeting with journalists on Wednesday night, Mr. Chandy said Mr. Vijayan had not uttered a single word about the Narendran panel recommendations throughout his 25-day march, though one of his slogans was "social justice."

The CPI(M) had kept its views about the Narendran panel recommendations to itself, if at all it had any views on the subject. It was as though it wanted the United Democratic Front Government to take the entire responsibility of thrashing out sensitive issues connected with implementation of the recommendations.

The other slogan of the march was "comprehensive development." But, what moral right Mr. Vijayan's party had to project this as a slogan when its attitude all through was to "scuttle development," Mr. Chandy asked.

He said Mr. Vijayan had spoken out against the proposed Smart City project when his march reached Kochi. This project was the hope of thousands of educated youngsters in the State. Its significance was not to be judged solely on the basis of some 33,000 high-paying jobs its would create in the State, but by the catalysing impact it would have in turning Kerala into an investment destination for information technology industry, he added.

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