The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has deviated from the core objectives of decentralization and crippled local governance, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph, MLA, said on Saturday. He was speaking at ‘Vote Vibe 2025’, a face-to-face event organized by the Thrissur Press Club.
“The LDF messed up every plan and turned everything into nothing,” he said. “By cutting funding, local authorities have tightened the noose around their necks. Development has stalled in every sector.”
Referring to the selection of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) candidates in Payyannur, he said, “The party is fielding a leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), who was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The verdict of the court against the injustices of the CPI(M) in this election will reflect.”
There is a Mamkootathil
Reacting to the controversy surrounding the complaint against Rahul Mamkootathila, MLA, Mr. Joseph said that the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) are competing in local polls on issues that really affect people. “There are much more serious issues that are troubling the public – farmers’ debts, wild animal attacks, rising prices. Those are the concerns we are conveying to the people,” he said.
Mr. Joseph also clarified the Congress leadership’s stand on the editorial published in Veekshanam in support of Mr. Mamkootathila. “This editorial is not in accordance with the policy or decisions of the Congress. Instructions have been issued to correct it,” he said.
He dismissed claims that only he and Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan decided to suspend Mr. Mamkootathil. “This decision was taken collectively by more than 25 leaders. The Leader of the Opposition and I personally spoke to each leader before arriving at him,” he explained.
The Sabarimala problem
Regarding the Sabarimala gold smuggling case, the KPCC president said that the CPI(M) is politically and administratively protecting those responsible for the theft. “The stolen gold has still not been recovered. In Sabarimala, those who were supposed to be on guard have turned into thieves. Even now, the police have not arrested all the accused. Despite judicial intervention and appointment of a special investigation team, the lost gold has not been recovered nor have the main accused been brought to justice,” he said.
He also raised doubts about the timing of the complaint against Mr. Mamkootathila and the manner in which it reached the Chief Minister’s office. “Notifying this does not mean either protecting the accused or releasing the survivors. It is our responsibility to draw attention to the unusual development,” he added.
Mr. Joseph concluded that the people of Kerala are witnessing both administrative decay and continued malfeasance under the LDF government and that these issues will affect the upcoming local body elections.
Published – 29 Nov 2025 20:49 IST
