Opposition UDF lays siege to state Secretariat; claims corruption, mismanagement by Left govt

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led UDF on Wednesday laid siege to the state Secretariat here in protest against the alleged corruption and administrative mismanagement by the ruling Left in Kerala.

Besides the issues of corruption and mismanagement, the protest is also against the rise in fuel and electricity rates as well as prices of daily essentials, a UDF worker said.

The opposition bloc workers and supporters along with leaders of the alliance turned up in large numbers outside the Secretariat, located in the heart of the capital, around 6 am onwards.

They blocked access to three of the four entry gates to the Secretariat building on a day when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led state cabinet is scheduled to hold a meeting on various issues.

Police were deployed in large numbers and barricades were also in place.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the assembly V D Satheesan had on Monday said the UDF volunteers and workers from across the state would 'blockade' the state Secretariat in protest against the LDF government which was allegedly 'sunk' in corruption.

"Corruption and administrative mismanagement are the hallmarks of this government," he had alleged.

The various instances of corruption and mismanagement by the Left front alleged by him included the Karuvannur bank scam case, installation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras, the KFON project and the financial transactions of CM Vijayan's daughter's firm with a private company.