UDF to withdraw support to government on cooperative matters

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan has declared that the Opposition would withdraw all support to the State government in the cooperative sector.

He also threatened a large-scale withdrawal of deposits from cooperative banks, as he condemned the violence that unfolded during the elections at the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank in Kozhikode a day ago.

He accused the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] of orchestrating the attack on voters, and even charged the police with colluding with criminal elements in sabotaging the election process.

In a strongly worded press conference in Kochi on Sunday, Mr. Satheesan held the LDF government, particularly Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan, directly responsible for the violence.

“What unfolded at Chevayur was nothing less than the murder of cooperative democracy,” he charged, and alleged that around 5,000 legitimate voters were chased away before they could cast their votes.

He went on to add that around 3,000 “criminals” infiltrated the polling centre, casting fake votes and attacking eligible voters. “The police, instead of maintaining order, facilitated the violence by working in tandem with these goons. Several Congress workers and innocent voters were brutally beaten up, and the police not only failed to protect them, but were complicit in the violence,” he alleged.

Mr. Satheesan also claimed that the LDF had used similar tactics to take control of several other cooperative banks, especially in Pathanamthitta where they had “captured” around 20 banks. He warned the Opposition would reconsider whether to maintain deposits in these banks.

The Leader of Opposition also accused the Sangh Parivar with exploiting the Munnambam land dispute to sow communal divisions in the State. He alleged the LDF government was complicit in its agenda by delaying action on the matter. The UDF will thwart any attempts to create unrest in the society, he said.

He was also critical of the CPI(M) for launching a scathing attack on Sandeep Varier, who joined the Congress a day ago. “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dissident was initially welcomed by the CPI(M), but they have now subjected him to baseless allegations,” Mr. Satheesan said.