LDF government derailing pro-poor programmes: Cong

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 17 (UNI) The opposition Congress today accused the ruling CPI(M)- led Left Democratic Front(LDF) of derailing the pro-poor programmes of the previous United Democratic Front (UDF) government.

The withdrawal of several pro-poor schemes like the health insurance scheme for the Below Poverty Line(BPL) families, supply of low-price rice and failure to hold the prices of commodities had hit the common man, Pradesh Congress president Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here.

The Congress would conduct a state-wide campaign against price rise on October 27 in all the Panchayats.

Regarding the insurance scheme for the poor, he said the government should have made changes in the insurance scheme if there was any flaw. ''But discarding the scheme is only a big blow to the poor people when the state was reeling under epidemics like Chikungunya,'' he said.

Noting that certain clauses in the Kerala Professional Colleges Act amounted to breach of minority rights guaranteed by the Constitution, Mr Chennithala asked the government to clarify its stand on the self-financing professional colleges issue.

When asked about the issue of toppling plots against the Former AK Antony government, he said ''this is all past. It is only a futile exercise to dig it out again. So no comments.'' UNI PN VV LS DS1525