Left lives in past, damaged development of Bengal, Kerala: PM

Kottayam/Kollam (Kerala), Apr 9 (PTI) Taking on the
Left on its turf, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today accused
it of doing great damage to north eatsern Indian state of West
Bengal and southern Indian state of Kerala during its rule and
garbing in political opportunism in ideology.
"Our Left friends are on the wrong side of the
history. They fail to recognise the very fundamental ways the
world we live in has changed, and is changing," Singh told
campaign meetings of the Congress-led UDF(United Democratic
Front) in Kottayam and Kollam in Kerala.
The Left parties had not only remained "on the wrong
side of history" but had sought to "garb in ideology their
political opportunism", he said as he launched a frontal
attack on the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led LDF(Left
Democratic Front) government.
"Every one knows how much damage the Left Front had
done during 30 years of its rule in West Bengal. It was due to
their faulty programmes that your state (Kerala) could not
progress as it could have and should have," he said.
"It is unfortunate that the Left Front refuses to
change with time. The result is that they pursue policies and
programmes that are not relevant to times," Singh charged.
"When I came during the general elections in 2009 I
said that our Left friends are on the wrong side of history. I
reiterate that," he said in his first campaign meeting for the
April 13 Kerala Assembly polls at Kottayam.
While interests of the common man were neglected under
the Left rule, CPI-M party workers gained at the cost of
ordinary people, Singh said.
If central schemes like rural employment guarantee
programme failed to benefit Kerala fully, it was due to the
"indifference" of the LDF government, he said.
Appealing to voters to bring UDF to power on the
strength of what his government had done these seven years,
Singh said Kerala needed a government that would work
hand-in-hand with the Centre to ensure rapid development of
the state.
"LDF lives in the past. On the other hand, the UDF
stands to safeguard the future of Kerala. We need to reverse
the present state. We need to build a climate that attracts
investment and creates more jobs, especially for youth," he
said.
Despite the global financial crisis, the country had
been able to maintain high growth rate under the UPA(United
Progressive Alliance) government without diluting the concerns
of the disadvantaged sections of the society to ensure
inclusive growth, Singh said.