Govt trying to create divide between those living in Kerala and those returning from abroad: N.K. Premachandran

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 23 (ANI): Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader N.K. Premachandran on Tuesday alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led Kerala government is playing politics with regard to returning of expatriates from the Middle East and trying to create a divide between those living in Kerala and those returning from abroad.
While talking to ANI, MP from Kollam Lok Sabha constituency, Premachandran said that state government is trying to project that Kerala was able to bring down COVID-19 before the return of expatriates.
"Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his party CPM are playing politics with regard to returning of expatriates from the Middle East. Kerala CM is also trying to create a divide between those living in Kerala and those returning from abroad," he said.
"Purposefully the CPM and Pinarayi Vijayan is trying to depict the expatriates as carriers of the virus. They are trying to project that Kerala was able to bring down COVID-19 before the return of expatriates. The politics behind this is that they want to put the blame on UDF led by the Congress party, which demanded that the Government should take steps to bring back Keralites stranded in other countries," he added.
Premachandran further alleged that state government is taking money from poor people for institutional quarantine.
"COVID management has gone out of hand in the state. The government is taking money from poor people for institutional quarantine. The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had claimed earlier that there are 2 lakh institutional quarantine centers in Kerala. But now when expatriates started to return the government is sending them home. Which makes all claims hollow," he said.
Commenting upon the Kerala government's decision of passengers travelling on flights from overseas to the state from June 25 should get themselves tested and have COVID-19 negative results before boarding the flights, Premachandran said, "The state government stands for making COVID-19 negative certificate mandatory is cruelty to the Non-Keralites. Many of the expatriates working in middle East are trying desperately to return back but Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has taken an adamant stand which is totally unacceptable."
Commenting upon the ongoing India-China border issue, Premchandran said, "Opposition parties are in solidarity with the Government. But the Prime Minister's statement after the all-party meet was misleading as Dr Manmohan Singh rightly pointed out."
"Chinese Soldiers have manhandled our soldiers. PM Modi during the all-party meeting said that there is no intrusion. Later, the Chinese government has declared that Galwan valley belongs to China. This is unfortunate," he added.
India and China are holding military-level talks to defuse the border tensions after the violent face-off in Ladakh's Galwan valley in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.
Indian intercepts have revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured. (ANI)