KOLLAM: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi came down heavily on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The chief minister’s attention is on the gold smuggling and trafficking. The Pinarayi Government in Kerala is like the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh. The CPM is assassinating young Congress workers in Kerala, she said.

Priyanka harshly criticized the government in the Walayar case. She alleged that the government sabotaged the Walayar case by adding water to the investigation. The government is creating an atmosphere of terror and intimidating the people. The people know that the real gold in Kerala are the Congress workers here, she opined.

The BJP is a party that divides the people communally. The Congress is putting forward politics which is the future of India. Kerala is a land of peace seekers and educated people. She said the country is looking into the fate of Kerala. She added that when the UDF government comes to power, will implement the NYAY scheme guaranteeing Rs 6,000 per month to the poor, she said.

She began her campaign for the April 6 assembly polls in Kerala, by taking out a road show meandering through this ancient maritime trading town in Alappuzha, seeking votes for the party candidate.

Seated atop a moving vehicle along with Aritha Babu, the Congress candidate from Kayamkulam, Priyanka clad in a yellow salwar kameez, waved to the jostling crowd of people lined up on both sides of the road and also shook hands with many enthusiastic voters.

Twenty-six-year-old Aritha is the youngest candidate in the poll arena in Kerala.

Sitting CPI (M) MLA U Prathibha Hari is the LDF candidate in the constituency, while BJP has fielded Pradeep Lal.

Gandhi will be addressing a public meeting at Karunagapally and hold road shows at Kottarakkara and Kollam, before leaving for neighbouring Thiruvananthapuram district where she will address a meeting at Venjaramoodu and hold roadshows at various places including coastal Poonthura.

A public meeting will also be held at the coastal hamlet of Valiyathura.