Opposition leader criticises defacing posters of film stars

Congress leader Oommen Chandy,charged CPI(M) workers with defacing posters of film stars who had campaigned for the UDF.

Congress leader Oommen Chandy,on April 19,charged CPI(M) workers with defacing posters of film stars who campaigned for UDF candidates in the April 13 Assembly elections and demanded that the Marxist party rein in their cadres.

The action of CPI-M workers clearly exposes the intolerance of ruling CPI-M led LDF against their critics. The party leadership should rein in their cadres. It is the right of every citizen in a democracy to campaign and vote for any particular candidate, said Chandy at Thiruvanathapuram.

Film posters of leading Malayalam actors Dileep,Kavya Madhavan and Jayaram were found smeared with black oil in Pathanpuram constituency in Kollam district,where filmstar K. B. Ganesh Kumar was the UDF candidate. The Opposition leader also asked the government to take steps to nab those responsible for the attack on Mathrubhumis Kollam correspondent V B Unnithanan recently.

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On the endosulfan pesticide issue,Chandy said that he had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take steps to implement a nationwide ban on it as 80 countries had already done so.

Use of endosulfan in cashew plantations in northern parts of Kasargode district had resulted in the deaths of several persons and crippled many,following which it was banned in Kerala last year.

Chandy alleged that the LDF had failed to implement the rice at Rs two per kilogram scheme as promised before the polls as the decision was taken without doing proper groundwork.