Launching the Left Democratic Front's campaign for the coming assembly polls in Kerala [Images], Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran V S Achuthanandan on Thursday criticised the United Democratic Front government, dubbing it a 'failure on all fronts.'

Achuthanandan, who is seeking re-election from Malampuzha in Palakkad district, said the UDF did not implement any of the promises it made in its manifesto in 2001.

The UDF promised that it would solve unemployment problem in five years. But what they actually did was to cut jobs by freezing 77,000 posts, he said.

The ruling coalition claimed that if voted to power it would stabilise the state's fiscal position by prudent management of resources. But the state's public debt had soared to Rs 54,000 crore from Rs 24,000 crore in five years, without bringing any benefit to agricultural or industrial sectors, Achuthanandan said, adding, that though the LDF, in its role as responsible opposition, had persistently warned the government about serious flaws in its policies, the government declined to heed the advice.

Achuthanandan wanted the people to take the assembly polls as an opportunity to bring about a change of government in the state and asked the LDF workers to strive hard for the LDF candidates' victory.

Earlier, he was welcomed by hundreds of LDF workers at the railway station as this was his first visit to the area after his candidature was cleared by the CPI-M.