Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday said that there is a clear wave in favour of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Kerala Assembly elections and predicted a two-thirds majority for the alliance.
Revanth Reddy undertook an extensive campaign in Kerala on the final day of campaigning even as the 'letter war' between him and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the performance of the Telangana and Kerala governments continued for the second consecutive day.
Seeking to wind up the duel with what he termed his "final response", Revanth Reddy raised pointed questions on the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's claims on poverty eradication, allegations of corruption and the use of "outdated data" to assess Telangana's performance.
Addressing a series of roadshows, Revanth Reddy said he had highlighted the failures of Vijayan's tenure and remarked that the 120-month rule of the Kerala Chief Minister had become symbolic of governance failures, adding that Vijayan's time to step down was nearing. He reiterated that the UDF would secure a two-thirds majority and promised governance on the lines of former chief minister Oommen Chandy.
Revanth Reddy criticised the lack of opportunities in Kerala, stating that educated and skilled youth were migrating abroad for employment, leaving behind a population largely comprising the elderly and children.
He termed the trend unfortunate and assured that, if voted to power, the UDF would create employment opportunities within the state, replicating Telangana's model of development, infrastructure expansion, job creation and promotion of self-employment.
He also invited Pinarayi Vijayan and women leaders from Kerala's Communist parties to visit Telangana to examine the welfare and development programmes being implemented.
Throwing a challenge, Revanth Reddy said they could tour any part of Telangana and assess the government's performance, asserting that all promises were being fulfilled and that Vijayan was welcome to verify them. He clarified that the elections were between the UDF and LDF, not between Telangana and Kerala, and insisted that his government was transparently presenting its work while expecting answers from Vijayan to his questions.