Kerala's Left Front government not united: Sonia

Kochi, Dec 15 (IANS) The lack of unity among Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) partners was affecting the development of the state, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said here Monday.

Gandhi, also the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), arrived here in the evening to take part in a three-day state conference of the Congress that began here Sunday.

'The Left Front government in Kerala is not united. As a result, the progress of the state has been affected,' she told a rally at the Kaloor Stadium.

The Left parties withdrew their outside support to the UPA government in New Delhi earlier this year following their differences over the India-US nuclear deal.

'The present UPA government has done so many things for the state, compared to the previous NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government. The UPA government is the first that has come to the aid of a large number of people (from Kerala) who work in the various Middle East countries,' said Gandhi.

The Kerala unit of the Congress has billed Gandhi's visit as the launch of the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, due by May 2009.