INTERVIEW |We stand to gain from BJPs frailties, LDFs governance failures: Congress' Muraleedharan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Outlining his partys assessment of the states political landscape, in a conversation with TNIE , Congress leader K Muraleedharan contrasts the UDFs 2020 and 2025 strategies, and responds to the LDF claims on governance and welfare measures. Excerpts: How has your partys election strategy evolved from the 2020 local-body polls? Since 2015, the UDF, which used to be the principal opposition in Thiruvananthapuram corporation, has been pushed to a distant third place. The absence of a mayoral candidate created the perception that the front was not taking the election seriously. At the same time, the BJP made inroads in several pockets. The situation has now shifted. The BJPs position has weakened following two high-profile suicides for which the party has been blamed, and many votes that had drifted to the BJP are now returning to the Congress. The LDFs governance failures, together with the Sabarimala gold-theft controversy, have further improved the political climate for the UDF. In the previous two elections, we lost minority support because voters backed the LDF out of fear of a BJP surge. With PM SHRI signed and JD(S) recognised as an LDF ally, rather than a BJP partner, we expect those votes to come back to the Congress. What message does the Congress want to convey in this election? A clear majority of local bodies are now governed by the LDF, but the question for voters is why that should continue. Over the past five years the state government has taken decisions that have undermined local bodies. One clear example is the reduction in their source funds, which has weakened local governance and delivery. Congress is campaigning to restore financial autonomy and support for local institutions. How do you respond to the LDFs claims of achievements in governance and welfare measures? Those announcements are election theatrics. Raising welfare pensions by the amount they propose would impose a fiscal burden of around Rs 10,000 crore, yet the government has given no credible plan for raising those funds. The pre-election announcement of a metro project for Thiruvananthapuram is a stunt. The project first proposed by the Oommen Chandy government was opposed by the LDF then. With major traffic disruptions on the Pallipuram-Kazhakoottam NH stretch, construction can only begin after the highway work is completed, making the announcement an impractical election gimmick.