Ernakulam, March 31 (IANS) Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition and veteran Congress leader, V.D. Satheesan, on Tuesday, launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing him of backing out of a public debate and repeatedly making “false claims” without accountability.

Satheesan said the Chief Minister’s decision to avoid a direct face-to-face discussion and instead shift the engagement to social media was “deeply disappointing”.

He added that he had expected Chief Minister Vijayan to announce a date and venue for the debate.

“When we (Congress) counter the claims he (Vijayan) makes online, there is complete silence thereafter,” the LoP remarked.

Citing housing data, Satheesan alleged that the Chief Minister’s claim that only 4,000 houses were built during the tenure of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was proven wrong by official data.

“It has been clearly established that more than 4.43 lakh houses were constructed. This was exposed using replies from his (Vijayan’s) own Cabinet. Yet, there has been no response from him (Vijayan) since,” the LoP said.

On the politically sensitive issue of support from the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Satheesan reiterated that the United Democratic Front (UDF) had categorically rejected any such backing.

He accused Chief Minister Vijayan of adopting an opportunistic stance, alleging shifting positions in dealing with organisations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, SDPI and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“The UDF is the first front to reject SDPI support. The Chief Minister should not forget that,” the LoP said.

Satheesan also alleged that the CPI-M was attempting to align with both minority and majority communal forces to secure electoral gains, but asserted that such efforts would fail in Kerala’s secular political landscape.

Referring to the killing of student Abhimanyu, the LoP said Chief Minister Vijayan owed an apology to the family before engaging with SDPI.

On financial transparency, Satheesan said details of the Wayanad housing initiative of the Congress would be disclosed upon completion.

He, however, levelled serious allegations against the CPI-M, claiming misuse of funds collected in the name of party martyrs.

He also criticised alleged curbs on his media outreach, remarking that Kerala is not “the Russia of Vladimir Putin or Joseph Stalin”.

–IANS

sg/khz