Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state secretary M V Govindan said the budget speech of Chief Minister V D Satheesan was an open declaration of the UDF govt’s plans to open all sectors to private capitalists. Govindan said the budget sought to placate corporates but failed to address the issues of common man.Addressing a news conference at AKG Centre here, Govindan said the budget was full of high-ticket programmes and promises, but there was no matching allocation for implementing the same. Everybody now agrees that the govt will not be able to complete any of the projects this financial year. Only token allocation has been given for even mega projects, he said.Govindan said Satheesan who described himself as a Nehruvian socialist, failed to prove the same. Govindan said the UDF govt was a total failure in managing public health sector. The state saw the outbreak of several contagious diseases, but the Satheesan govt has failed to intervene effectively. Now, two doctors were claiming themselves to be the director of health service. One doctor whom the govt removed from service got the order stayed by the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT). But the new one appointed by the govt refused to vacate her chair. This is ridiculous, he said. Govindan said the health department failed to hold a review meeting convened by the directorate of health service.Attack on ED officials should have been avoided’Govindan also said the attack on the enforcement directorate officials by CPM workers during a raid of opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan’s house in Thiruvananthapuram last month should have been avoided. But it was a natural response by party workers as the protest continued for long hours, he said. The raid was related to the CMRL-Exalogic money laundering case involving Vijayan’s daughter Veena T. She was later questioned by the central agency.“Workers got agitated after the ED raid at Pinarayi Vijayan’s home lasted for around eight hours. Party politically resist when political moves are made against it,’’ he said, adding that the CPM was not against the raids, but against dragging Vijayan into it.
