IANS THIRUVANANTHAPURAM UNION Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday opined that Kerala was on course to becoming the number one state in the country on account of a very pro-active, development-oriented government led by Oommen Chandy, working hard here.

“For the past few years, I am based in Delhi and I get an overall picture of what is happening in every state. I am happy to state that if the present Chandy government is in office for another four years more, then Kerala will no doubt be the number one state in the country,” said Antony.

Antony made the remark while addressing his first campaign rally in the Neyattinkara constituency in Thiruvananthapuram’s suburbs, which holds the assembly by-election on June 2
“Chandy’s government, in its one year of office, has not only dreamt of doing things, but has also seen to it that dreams are turned into reality.

I will give 100 marks out of 100 for their performance,” said Antony.

He said the scheme of providing rice at Rs 1 a kg to all holders of below poverty line cards is certainly the highlight of his governance. “The Ashraya scheme launched by Finance Minister K M Mani is another achievement of this government. Through this scheme, those who suffer from ailments of the heart, kidneys and other critical illnesses get free treatment and this has turned to be a boon for many,” said Antony.

He said besides these socially beneficial programmes, Chandy had also set up projects that will spur development of the state through major projects and called upon the voters in Neyattinkara constituency to give their vote to Chandy because he needed stability.

In the 140-member Kerala assembly, the Congress-led United Democratic Front has 72 seats and the Left opposition has 67 seats.

Incidentally, in a dissenting voice from the government over the steepest ever petrol price hike, Antony also said it was “not a correct step” and the oil companies should have shown some “propriety” before taking the decision.

“The hike in petrol price was not a correct step. The oil companies should have shown some propriety,” he told reporters as the UPA Government faced street protes. The senior Congress leader’s virtual disapproval of the hike came after Petroleum Minister Jaipal Reddy’s strong defence of the oil companies move.