Rahul begins tour of Kerala hitting out LDF

Kochi, Apr 9: Hitting out at the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi today accused it of unleashing tremendous "violence and fear" against opponents, and not promoting the state's growth and industrialisation.

"In order to support the political organisation, Left Front uses tremendous amount of violence and fear. You know better than me how the Left Front government uses violence on our workers and common people of Kerala," Gandhi, here for electioneering, told a UDF convention.

Charging the LDF government with valuing "their organisation over and above the people of Kerala," he said this was not what a government should do. "A government is responsible first to its people and then to its political party".

Gandhi promised the electorate that a Congress-led government would ''push'' economic development ''very aggressively'' in the state.

He said the state had made tremendous strides in literacy and other areas, but added, "when I come here I also see everything is not going right. I feel the true potential of people of Kerala is visible in middle-east and other parts".

Gandhi said without industrial growth, IT, telecommunications and improvement in agriculture, the poor cannot be helped and "this is where Kerala government has failed".

The LDF government had not been able to ensure industrial development to take Kerala forward, he said.

PTI