Next goal is to end poverty: M V Govindan

Thiruvananthapuram: With Kerala officially declared free of extreme poverty, the next goal is to eradicate poverty entirely, said CPI M state secretary M V Govindan. He dismissed the Opposition’s criticism of the initiative as baseless and politically motivated. Govindan stated that if the Union Government lifted its ongoing financial blockade and released the two lakh crore rupees owed to Kerala, the state could raise welfare pensions to 3,000 rupees. He described the extreme poverty-free declaration as a milestone in Kerala’s development journey, the culmination of a long, sustained process rather than a sudden accomplishment. “Some believe this was achieved overnight, but it is the result of decades of steady interventions, dating back to the time of E M S Namboodiripad. This is what we call the Kerala alternative,” Govindan said. He added that the LDF takes pride in having built this model, which has helped elevate the state to its present social and developmental standing. Responding to the Opposition leader’s allegation that the declaration was manipulated, Govindan pointed out that local bodies across Kerala, not all ruled by the Left, had achieved the same status. “If panchayats led by the Congress and Muslim League have also declared themselves free of extreme poverty, will the Opposition call those declarations fraudulent as well?” he asked. He reminded that the project had been in progress for four and a half years. “During all this time, Opposition leader V D Satheesan never said a word against it. Where was he then? Now that the project has drawn global attention, he finds it intolerable,” Govindan said. “Satheesan calls it a fraud, and a few so-called experts have joined him in that chorus,” he added.