Last leg of campaign: Chandy hits out at VS

IRUMBANAM: On a day of active campaigning in Piravom on Wednesday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy embarked on a roadshow in support of UDF candidate Anoop Jacob. Set off from Irumbanam, the show was accorded rousing welcome at Chottanikkara, Mulanthuruthy, Amballor, Arayankavu, Olippuram, Arakunnam, Ramamangalam Kadavu, Hospital Junction, Pambakuda, Anjalpetty, Thirumarady, Kuthattukulam, Mutholapuram, Elanji, Palachuvadu and Piravom.  In his speeches at the reception centres, Chandy lashed out at Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan for his remarks against Defence Minister A K Antony. “If Achuthanandan wants to know about the development programmes that Antony had brought to the state, he has to look just at the project of BHEL in his constituency Malampuzha,” he said in reply to Achuthanandan’s allegation that the Defence Minister had done nothing for the state. “Let Achuthanandan ask Elamaram Kareem, who was the Industries Minister in his cabinet, to know about the projects commenced in the state with the initiative of Antony,” he said. Moreover, the doubt could be cleared if he asks the people in his constituency. Antony was instrumental in bringing five major projects to Kerala, Chandy said.  The Chief Minister also claimed that when compared to the previous LDF regime, Kerala witnessed more development initiatives during the nine-month-old tenure of the UDF government.