RJD blames LDF’s ‘policy deviations’ for poll setback

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A State leadership meeting of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) held in Kozhikode on Tuesday (June 16) noted that the failure of the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to heed the RJD’s repeated warnings in coalition meetings regarding deviations from Left policies had contributed to the electoral setbacks faced by the front in the recent Kerala Assembly polls.

It also criticised Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s “unilateral” nomination of 19 members to the Senate of Mahatma Gandhi University and the participation of three Vice-Chancellors in an RSS event attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

The meeting further expressed concern over the Union government’s decision to permit the sale of ethanol-blended petrol. In a statement, RJD State secretary general Varughese George said it could adversely affect food security. The meeting observed that in India, 61% of ethanol production was derived from food grains. Large quantities of food grains that should be reserved for the public distribution system would instead be diverted for ethanol production.

The meeting decided to organise a dharna in protest against the rising prices of petrol, diesel, and cooking gas on the evening of June 23.