From KSRTC to Sabarimala, Congress failed people: BJP
Thiruvananthapuram: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K. Surendran on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that making grand promises during elections and abandoning them after coming to power has become the party’s political DNA.
Accusing the Congress government in Kerala of misleading voters, Surendran said the party was repeating the same pattern seen in states such as Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, where, he alleged, assurances given to women and ordinary citizens were not implemented fully after elections.
Taking the KSRTC free travel promise for women as a key example, Surendran said it was one of the Congress’s major election commitments in Kerala.
He alleged that while the party had promised free travel across KSRTC services before the elections, the government has now restricted the scheme to ordinary buses and proposed only a trial implementation.
“This clearly shows the gap between what was promised before elections and what is being done after coming to power,” he said.
Surendran also targeted the Congress over the Sabarimala gold theft case, alleging that the party had mounted a major campaign on the issue while in opposition, but had gone silent after assuming office.
He said the Congress had earlier promised a probe by central agencies but had now stepped away from that demand.
He further alleged that V.D. Satheesan, who as Leader of the Opposition had criticised the Special Investigation Team’s probe earlier, has not maintained the same stand after becoming Chief Minister.
According to Surendran, the government’s silence on the matter was proof that people had been misled.
The BJP leader also accused the government of failing to withdraw cases registered against Ayyappa devotees during the Sabarimala women’s entry protests, despite earlier assurances. He termed this a sign of the Congress’s double standards towards believers.
On the rising incidents of human–wildlife conflict in Kerala’s hill regions, Surendran said the government had failed to protect farmers and ordinary citizens.
He pointed out that several states were adopting modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, to prevent wildlife attacks, while Kerala lacked effective action.
Surendran concluded that the Congress and the LDF had become two sides of the same coin when it came to making promises and failing to deliver them.