BJP government deadlier than coronavirus, says CPI(M) leader

CPI(M) Tamil Nadu secretary K Balakrishnan on Friday described the BJP-led government at the Centre as deadlier than the coronavirus.

With its 'anti-people' and 'pro-corporate' policies, a large section of the people were put to hardship and the government has now become deadlier than the coronavirus, he told reporters here.

Stating that the government has already given a concession to the corporates, he said the recent budget proposals also favoured corporates, thus neglecting the common man.

Besides, the allocation for health, education, rural development and MGNERA was drastically brought down, he said adding that the government was trying to privatise public sectors like the LIC.

To protest against these policies, the Left parties would distribute pamphlets across the state from February 12 to 18, he said.

To a query on the raid on film actor Vijay, Balakrishan said it was not wrong to conduct raids, but the way in which it was conducted was wrong.

To another question on superstar Rajinikanth supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act, he said the BJP would not be able to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu and that the party was speaking through the actor.

On Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan asking a tribal boy to remove his slippers, the Left leader said, "It was the height of arrogance." The Minister called the boy and asked him to remove his footwear so as to enter a temple there and perform a pooja. The boy readily obliged and removed the slippers in full public view. This led to an outrage and the clipping of the episode went viral.