CM should apologise for misleading people on ADB loan: Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 23 (UNI) Opposition Leader in the Kerala Assembly Oommen Chandy today said Chief Minister V S Achutanandan and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) should apologise to the people of the state for staging anti-ADB protests in the past and 'misleading' them on ADB loan for urban development in the state.

'The LDF, which protested against the ADB loan when the United Democratic Front was in power, has now decided to take it. This shows the LDF was wrong in its earlier policies,' he told reporters here.

The protests were against the welfare of the people and against development, he said and added that as the LDF had now decided to take the loan, it should appologise for causing the delay.

'If the LDF had thought in a practical sense five years ago as they have now thought, then the delay could have been avoided.' Mr Chandy said the LDF had one policy when in opposition and another when in power. They had protested against computers when the UDF government went in for computerisation. 'These people have now realised the scope of computers and are not against computerisation.

The protest against ADB was similar.' Criticising the LDF meeting yesterday which gave the green signal to the government for accepting the loan, he said, 'There is no sense in the LDF meeting on finalising the ADB loan as it has already been decided at the meeting between the state government and the planning board. It is only eyewash.' Moreover, it was also included in the first budget speech of the LDF government.

Stressing that no strategic changes, as claimed by the LDF, had been made in the agreement, Mr Chandy said all the changes were made when he was Chief Minister and nothing new had been added.

Condemning the Chief Minister for denying knowledge of signing the MoU with the ADB in December last, he said state Local Administration Minister Paloli Mohammedkutty's statement made it clear that the Chief Minister was aware of the facts. Mr Achutanandan was in New Delhi when the MoU was signed between the Resident Commissioner of Kerala House, New Delhi, and the ADB. The Budget was presented in the Assembly after it was seen by the Chief Minister, he said.

On the Supreme Court verdict quashing the Justice K K Narendran Commission report, which raised the limit of creamy layer families among reserved categories from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs three lakh in the state, Mr Chandy said he would comment after studying the report.

UNI