Ernakulam (Kerala) [India], March 27 (ANI): Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, Kerala CPI(M) secretary MV Govindan on Friday said that his party had been the primary force opposing the BJP in the state. He also criticised Congress leader VD Satheesan for spreading “lies”.
Speaking to the reporters here, Govindan said, “The people of Kerala know that the CPI(M) is the force that strongly opposes the RSS, whereas the UDF is the party that maintains a relationship with them. If you examine the voting statistics, it becomes clear who actually helped the BJP win; it was the CPI(M) that successfully closed the BJP’s account in Nemom. This is the only Opposition that has taken a stand against development in this election.”
“VD Satheesan’s primary job is to wake up and spread lies; while he claims to be against communalism, he hasn’t uttered a single word regarding Jamaat-e-Islami’s public declaration of support for the UDF. Furthermore, KM Shaji is the very hallmark of communalism; wherever he contests, he speaks nothing but communal politics,” he said.
His remarks come after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his party, calling them the “B-team” of the BJP. He also said that Congress was copying the ruling party’s positions instead of learning from its own mistakes.
Addressing the press conference in Ernakulam, Kerala CM said, “Rahul Gandhi is a National leader, yet he lacks the basic awareness of even a common local worker of Congress in kerala; he simply refuses to learn from experience or mistakes. It is hard to understand how such a downfall is happening to him. Rahul Gandhi and his Congress are the ‘B-team’ of the BJP in the country, and yet its stance is being adopted across India.”
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi alleged a partnership between the Left Democratic Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing Kerala’s ruling CPI(M) of “dividing people.”
Launching the United Democratic Alliance’s (UDF) campaign for Kerala elections in Kozhikode, Rahul Gandhi alleged that Pinarayi Vijayan did not fulfil the promise of 40 lakh jobs.
Kerala legislative assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23. (ANI)