‘Sinister agenda’: CPI(M) fires back at Rahul, Kharge; accuses Congress of helping BJP | India News
NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday launched a sharp counter-attack on Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharg for criticizing the party in the Kerala election, accusing the Congress of going soft on the BJP and targeting the Left for electoral gains.In a strongly worded statement, the CPI(M) said the Congress was backing away from its claim to fight communal-authoritarian forces and instead became a “feeder organization for the BJP”.The CPI(M) Polit Bureau strongly rejected what it called Rahul Gandhi and Kharg’s “provocative statements” against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the party’s secular credentials.“Such canards are being spread by them to ensure cheap electoral gains in the assembly elections. By targeting the CPI(M) instead of the BJP, Congress leaders are deviating from their claim to fight against communal-dictatorship forces. The people of Kerala will see through this sinister agenda,” the CPI(M) said in a statement.The reaction came after Rahul Gandhi and Kharge launched a broadside against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) when the United Democratic Front (UDF) began campaigning for the Kerala polls from Kozhikode on Wednesday.Gandhi alleged that there is an understanding between the LDF and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.“There are actually only two parties fighting here in Kerala. One is the UDF alliance, and the other is the partnership between BJP and LDF. UDF brings people together, listens to them and embraces and empowers them. LDF and their hidden partners divide people and crush them,” he said while addressing the campaign through video conferencing.He also referred to cases filed against opposition leaders and questioned why similar action was not taken against the Kerala Chief Minister.Gandhi said he had about 40 cases against him and that the Enforcement Directorate questioned him for five consecutive days and alleged that the lack of similar action against Vijayan “despite the corruption case” was evidence of a BJP-LDF understanding.Responding to the allegations, the CPI(M), which is also a component of the Bharat Bloc with the Congress, said the Congress should introspect why many of its leaders in various states had joined the BJP.“It is a well-known fact that the current BJP Chief Minister of Assam held important portfolios in the previous Congress government. In Tripura, the entire Congress leadership joined the BJP in 2018 to defeat the Left Front. Many central government ministers and BJP MPs were prominent Congress leaders earlier. Congress has become a feeder organization for the BJP,” said.The party has accused the Congress of allying with minority fundamentalist forces in the state.“Even in this election, the Congress is allying with minority fundamentalist forces. The Congress-League-BJP alliance has manifested itself in various elections in Kerala, including the recently concluded local body elections,” it said.Kerala will go to polls on April 9 and count on May 4. The Congress-led UDF is seeking to oust the ruling LDF.
