Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has said the authoritarianism and a patently anti-people position on matters of public concern are the hallmarks of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government, which completed a year in power on Thursday.
Mr. Satheesan said on Thursday that the Left Democratic front (LDF) government had nothing to write home about. It had unleashed the might of the State against K-Rail (SilverLine) protestors anxious about losing their dwellings, land and livelihood to the "quixotic" semi-high-speed railway project.
The viral footage of a police officer stomping on an anti-SilverLine protestor remained the most enduring image of Mr. Vijayan's second term in power.
