This story is from June 22, 2020

Ramesh Chennithala hits back at Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, says opposition only doing its duty

Ramesh Chennithala hits back at Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, says opposition only doing its duty
Ramesh Chennithala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday replied to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's criticisms, saying the opposition had only performed its duty of pointing out the government's lapses. "We have been supporting all their initiatives and our workers are also there in the forefront of bringing expatriates back and helping people at the grassroots," he said.

Ramesh, however, skirted queries about KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran's 'sexist' remarks against health minister K K Shailaja, saying the party president has himself explained the context of his comments.
The opposition leader said the UDF had brought out corruption and lapses that happened during the pandemic. "We opposed the government's stand against expatriates' homecoming when it went against the NRKs' interests... The charges we raised were not just allegations. What happened to the Sprinkler deal now? There was corruption behind the BevQ app and the Pamba river sand deal. The state government was exploiting the Covid situation for these illegal deals," he said.
The government did not heed to the UDF demand for steps to bring back Keralites stranded in other states, following which the Congress arranged buses from Karnataka. When railways started special trains, the state government did not even demand trains to bring Keralites from other states, Ramesh said.
In Kottayam, former chief minister Oommen Chandy also chose not to comment on Ramachandran's remarks but said the opposition would not allow personal attacks on him. Among the UDF allies, the IUML took a public stand against the remarks. "A senior leader like him should have avoided such personal remarks," party general secretary K P A Majeed said, but added that it doesn't justify the chief minister's attack on the opposition.
Vijayan had unleashed a scathing attack on the opposition's "destructive style of politics" on Saturday. Citing its demand for opening religious places and postponing SSLC examinations, he accused the opposition of trying to sabotage the government's Covid-19 efforts.
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