Kottayam, Saturday 02 April 2011: CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat today reiterated that the Left Front governments would always defend secularism and protect minorities.

Karat was addressing an election campaign here today. The LDF government in the state was a clean government and it had taken steps to check corruption in all areas of life. Citing corruption in the UPA and its leaders at Centre and UDF in the state, he alleged that one central minister was facing trial, while another in the state was already in jail.

The UPA and UDF were serving the interest of big capitalists. Only ten per cent of the people could make profit under the UPA and UDF governments, whereas the Left Front governments had brought relief to farmers and the common man, he claimed.

In Kerala, the people had never accepted the BJP as an alternative but only the Left Front as the alternative to Congress and the UDF, he further claimed. He appealed to the electorate to ensure victory of the LDF candidates. LDF convener Vaikom Viswan refuted the propaganda that progressive movements were alien to Kottayam.

(News agency)