Thiruvananthapuram: The slim majority in the
Kerala assembly will not affect the stability of the UDF
ministry, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Friday but the
party and the front will do "serious introspection" to
ascertain the reasons for a not-so-impressive performance.
"The number of seats in the assembly is not the issue.
The real challenge is how well to perform for the benefit of
the state and all sections of people. I am totally confident
about the stability of the UDF Government by working in this
direction," Chandy said in an interview here.
Reinforcing his point, Chandy said the government led by
CPI stalwart late C Achutha Menon in 1970-77 had only a
majority of three MLAs but it not only was in office for seven
years but also ushered in political stability after a phase of
instability.
In sharp contrast, he said the UDF Ministry headed by
late K Karunakaran came to power in 1977 with 111 seats but
the government could not last even three years.
"I am not saying that number does not matter. But what is
more important is how to carry the government forward
fulfilling the expectations of people. What is the use of
having high numbers if the government does not have a clear
perspective about the goals to be achieved. In the present
scenario, we will be doubly careful and vigilant," Chandy
said.
Admitting that the poll results were not up to the
expectations of Congress and UDF, he said the party and the
front would seriously introspect to ascertain the reasons.
"What we expected in the assembly polls was a result that
would reflect the trends of 2009 Parliament and civic polls in
which the UDF did extremely well. But that did not happen and
we will make serious analyses and take corrective steps at the
organisational level," Chandy said.
Making Kerala a top class state in the country by
regaining the "lost opportunities" was the real challenge for
the government, he said, noting that performing well with
"great care and ability" was important.
He said the argument that the UDF’s support base had
shrunk was not correct.
Chandy assumed office on May 18 after leading the
Congress-led combine to power unseating the LDF winning 72
seats in the 140-member assembly.
Rejecting the CPI(M) charge that he had given into
pressures from caste and religious organisations in ministry-
formation, he said there was no truth whatsoever in
that "propaganda".
"The UDF has always done proper balancing to accommodate
all sections of the society," he said.
"This time also, we have taken care to accommodate the
aspirations of various sections. But this would not mean that
we have succumbed to pressures from community outfits. We took
welcome suggestions from various quarters. But I have not been
under pressure from any quarter," he said.
PTI
