Two years of rule show majority not important: Chandy

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, whose government will celebrate its second anniversary Saturday, said he has proved that the majority in the assembly is not that important.

"Lot of questions were asked from several quarters that since my government, when it began, had just a two-seat majority in the assembly and may not have a smooth run. But after two years, I wish to point out that it has been proved beyond doubt that numbers is not all that important," said Chandy while addressing reporters here Friday.

Chandy was sworn in a second time as chief minister on May 18, 2011, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front having a slight majority in the 140-member Kerala assembly at 72 against the Left opposition's 68.

Chandy said he agreed that in the past two years there were issues on the political front but asked "was governance ever affected or delayed" due to them.

"We are extremely happy that we were able to do things for the people and this occurred just because of the excellent team work and the support that came from our parties," he added.

Chandy said that the state's flagship projects which include the Kochi Metro, Vizhinjam Port, Smart City Kochi, Kannur airport and the Kollam-Kottapuram Waterways will certainly be getting into the implementation mode shortly.

However, Leader of Opposition and Chandy's predecessor V.S. Achuthanandan termed Chandy's two-year stint as an abject failure on all fronts.

"For the man on the street, all that he is confronted with on a daily basis is price-rise on all fronts. It appears this government is one for the rich and mighty and not for the common man. Never ever has our state seen a government like this," Achutanandan said.

Defending the government, state Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala claimed that there have been no issues between the party and the government.

"The government has been able to work as a cohesive unit and if one makes a comparison with the previous Achuthanandan government, it was a complete washout with Achuthanandan and his CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) party involved in a tit-for-tat always and there was no harmony. While in our case, we are working together," Chennithala told reporters here.