From corruption charges to quality certification: UDF’s reversal on labour contract society

The century-old ULCCS has been under attack from the Congress-led UDF in recent years after the Kozhikode-based labour contract movement emerged as the successful bidder for several key highway projects in Kerala.

During the Assembly election campaign in April this year, AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal had said, “ULCCS is at the epicenter of the corruption under Pinarayi Vijayan government. They are winning projects without a tender. ULCCS is the main financial source of CPI(M). Just as Adani is to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ULCCS is to Vijayan. Everything goes to ULCCS.” Venugopal had added that if the Congress came to power, all dealings related to ULCCS would be probed.

In 2023, then Opposition leader and present Chief Minister V D Satheesan had alleged that the CPI(M) was using ULCCS to park corruption money. He had said the society enjoyed unusual patronage from the LDF government. Satheesan and other Congress leaders repeatedly raised the issue and urged the then government to review works awarded to ULCCS.

Basheer’s statement in the Assembly that the government had found no anomalies either in awarding works to ULCCS or in fixing project costs marks an embarrassing volte-face for the ruling alliance, which had earlier alleged that ULCCS was a benami entity of CPI(M) leaders.

Former Cooperation Minister and CPI(M) leader V N Vasavan said it was heartening that the UDF had finally acknowledged ULCCS and the quality of its work. “When we had pointed out the excellence of ULCCS, Congress leaders were ridiculing the LDF,” he said.