Antony urges Congress workers to bring party back to power

Kochi, Mar 18 (UNI) Defence Minister and senior Congress leader A K Antony today urged his party colleagues to revitalise and channelise their energies to catapult the party back to power in Kerala.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the District Congress (I) Convention here, Mr Antony said the Congress should move forward in unseating the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led government in the state by upholding the democratic principles.

Mr Antony said the anti-people policies of the government had seriously dented the expectations of the comman man.

'' The party should move forward by upholding the democratic principles and weaken the Marxist government in the state,'' he said.

He said the next Paliamentary elections were a perfect platform for the party to surge ahead in the state.

Mr Antony reiterated that the Centre was not on a collision course with the state government as the Centre was willing to take the state on the path of progress.

''It was the reponsibility of the state government to assure a cordial Centre-State cooperation that can take Kerala to greater heights in the economic development,'' Mr Antony said.

On the ADB loan issue, Mr Antony said he was happy to note that present government had taken a stand taken by the previous UDF government, quipping ''better late than never.'' Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs and party leader Vayalar Ravi said the Left parties were pursuing 'double standards' on various issues.

The Left which was vocal against the multi-national companies was now supporting the polices of these coporates and the atrocities unleashed by the West Bengal Government in Nandigram and Singur were a testimony to that, he noted.

Taking exception to the liquor policy of the Kerala government, Mr Ravi said with the policy, the government was trying to legalise the sale of liquor, which would adversely affect the interests of the common man.

Opposition Leader in the Assembly Oomen Chandy, KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala and others also addresed the convention.

UNI