Southern States - Kerala   

LDF plans stir demanding House session

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DEC. 9. Legislators belonging to the Opposition LDF would stage a day-long dharna before the Kerala State Secretariat here on December 17 to press the Opposition demand for convening the Assembly to discuss the State Government's loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Briefing reporters after the LDF State Committee meeting here today, the Front convener, Paloli Mohammed Kutty, said the decision to hold the dharna was taken because the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, had not responded to the Opposition leaders' demand for an urgent session of the Assembly to discuss the ADB loan package and its implications for the State.

Mr. Kutty said the LDF panel had decided to organise five regional jathas beginning January 17 as part of the Front's anti-Government offensive. The jathas would conclude on January 23. The Front leadership would also convene a meeting of youth and student leaders on December 21 to discuss the recruitment freeze and issues in the education sector. The LDF committee, meeting again on December 28, would finalise details of its anti-Government agitation, he added.

Replying to questions, the LDF convener said the Front committee had not taken up the question of accommodating the NCP and the Congress(S). He confirmed reports that leaders of one faction of the Malankara Orthodox Church had met him and presented their side of the story. He had told them that he would respond to their pleas after hearing what the other side had to say.

Asked whether the LDF would be prepared to disclose details of its negotiations with the ADB, Mr. Kutty said it was all in the public domain. He did not agree with the argument that there was no need to convene an urgent session of the Assembly as the LDF also had not facilitated a discussion on its negotiations with the ADB in the Assembly. The LDF's discussions were preliminary in nature whereas the Antony Government was about to sign an agreement with the ADB at Manila next week. The agreement would barter away the State's sovereignty and turn out to be an assault on democratic rights, he said.

Asked to comment on the rechristening of the People's Plan Campaign as `Kerala Development Programme', Mr. Kutty said nobody had any objection to the name change and the only question was whether it would result in the State's development. As things stood, local bodies were likely to get only one instalment of the annual Plan assistance this year. This would render them dysfunctional. Ultimately, there was every possibility of this being used as an excuse to take away whatever little autonomy and powers that the local bodies now enjoyed, he said.

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