Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 30 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday criticised the opposition Congress-led UDF for boycotting the LDF government's ongoing fourth anniversary celebrations, saying that the public had made it a success through their overwhelming participation.

Addressing a press conference, he said there was a large turnout at the inaugural event and each venue hosting the celebrations.

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"It seems the people of the state have taken ownership of the government's annual celebration and exhibition," he said.

This, he pointed out, comes at a time when a section of people chose to boycott the government's anniversary events—an apparent reference to the UDF opposition.

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"What's evident is that the people stand with a government that is pursuing development and welfare together across all sectors," the chief minister said.

He noted that overcoming the financial crisis created by the Centre was a major challenge, but the state government was pushing ahead with both development and welfare initiatives.

"But some people think they can bring down the government through negative propaganda," Vijayan added.

The huge turnout at the anniversary events, he said, was the public's answer to such campaigns.

During the press conference, the CM also highlighted the progress of the state's anti-drug initiatives.

Between February 22 and April 28, as part of the "Operation D-Hunt" drive, 1,61,425 people were checked, he said. A total of 12,024 cases were registered, and 12,627 individuals arrested. Authorities seized 6.684 kg of MDMA and 820.029 kg of ganja during this period.

"A meeting was held today to finalise the next phase of the anti-drug campaign. Preparations will be completed by May, and the campaign is scheduled to begin on June 26, World Anti-Drug Day," he said.

Responding to questions about the arrest of rapper Vedan in a drug case, Vijayan said the status of an individual, whether "backward or forward", was irrelevant in narcotics cases.

"It is part of our strong stance against drug abuse, and such actions will continue. However, issues like the reported possession of a leopard tooth must be handled with caution," he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)