Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slams Rahul, Kharge for questioning Kerala govt’s secular credentials

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly condemned statements made by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing them of making provocative remarks against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and questioning the party’s secular credentials.

‎In a press statement on Thursday, the CPI(M) Politburo alleged that the Congress leaders’ comments were intended to “secure cheap electoral gains” in the forthcoming Assembly elections. “By targeting the CPI(M) instead of the BJP, the Congress leaders are reneging on their claim of fighting communal-authoritarian forces. The people of Kerala will see through this sinister agenda,” the statement said.

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The party also questioned the Congress’s political credibility, pointing to widespread defections to the BJP in several states. “The present BJP Chief Minister of Assam held important portfolios in the earlier Congress government. In Tripura, the entire Congress leadership joined the BJP in 2018 to defeat the Left Front. Many Union ministers and MPs from the BJP were earlier prominent Congress leaders. The Congress has become a feeder organisation for the BJP,” it stated.

‎Highlighting Kerala’s governance record under the Left Democratic Front (LDF), the CPI(M) noted that the state has not witnessed a single communal riot in the past ten years, in contrast to incidents such as the Marad riot under the United Democratic Front (UDF) regime. The party also criticized the Congress for forming alliances with minority fundamentalist forces, saying, “The Congress-League-BJP nexus has been exposed in various elections in Kerala, including the recently concluded local body elections.”

‎On the issue of central investigative agencies, the CPI(M) accused Rahul Gandhi of hypocrisy. “The Congress Leader of the Opposition is calling for the arrest of an opposition Chief Minister by invoking the ED and other central agencies. It should not be forgotten that the Congress had similarly called for the arrest of Shri Arvind Kejriwal, former Chief Minister of Delhi. This exposes their opportunistic stance,” the statement said.

‎The CPI(M) further called on the people of Kerala to acknowledge the achievements of the LDF government. “The people of Kerala, who have witnessed unprecedented development and communal harmony over the past ten years under LDF rule, will deliver a fitting rebuff to both the Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA,” the party said.