Left splitting secular votes: Veerendrakumar

Holding that the unity of secular forces was crucial to prevent BJP-led by Narendra Modi from coming to power, Socialist Janata (Democractic) leader M P Veerendrakumar today accused the Left combine in the country of splitting secular votes by declining to come on a joint anti-BJP platform in coming Lok Sabha polls.
"Narendra Modi has emerged as the pivot of BJP. The key issue in the elections is whether he should be allowed to gain power or not. His defeat required unity of all secular forces in the country. But the Left's position amounts to dividing the secular votes," Veerendrakumar said addressing a well-attended rally of the SJD here.

The SJD,a partner in the Congress-led UDF, stood for forging unity of secular forces, he said.
He said Modi was fighting the polls on the Hindutva platform and had proved himself not only as an ideologue of that concept but also its practitioner.
Attacking the CPI(M) leadership in Kerala, Veerendrakumar charged its ongoing boycott of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy over the solar panel scam issue was "most undemocratic" and betrayed the party's "arrogance."
"Chandy has become Chief Minister on securing the people's mandate. The campaign of boycotting him could be seen only as most undemocratic. This kind of an approach was never adopted by the UDF towards the previous LDF governments," he said.

Veerendrakumar said he was part of the LDF for four decades before breaking away about three years ago finding it difficult to put up with the "arrogant" approach of the present CPI(M) leadership. In sharp contrast, Congres, as the leader of the UDF, had extended "generous treatment" to all the partners, he said.
Chandy, who was the chief guest at the meeting, said Congress always accommodated the Front partners with equality and dignity and it would continue to do so.
The public meeting was preceded by a march of SJD volunteers from different parts of the district. The volunteer march and rally marked the conclusion of conventions held by the party in all the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies across the state.