By – Prakarsh Kastwar
Malappuram, Kerala [India], April 18 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan unleashed an irritating attack on Congress on Thursday, claiming that the Left parties do not want Congress’ approval to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s incorrect policies. He was responding to claims made by Congress leaders, notably Rahul Gandhi, that he is soft on PM Modi in order to avoid being investigated by Central authorities investigating various complaints against his government.
“It’s humorous that members of the same Congress party, Rahul Gandhi and VD Satheesan, questioned why the Chief Minister keeps quiet about Modi. The Left does not need approval from Congress to oppose PM Modi’s incorrect policies and the RSS that applies them. “Those who lit lamps, bowed before Golwalkar’s picture, and asked for votes for the RSS had to examine their own behavior,” Vijayan stated during a press conference .
Rahul Gandhi stated in his campaign speeches that there may have been a backroom agreement between Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Vijayan in Kerala, even though central investigative agencies have gone after governments run by opposition parties in other states.
Rahul’s accusation is a restatement of the criticism of the Chief Minister made by the state’s Congress leaders.
CM Vijayan also questioned the Congress’ secular credentials, stating that the party is “degenerating into BJP’s B team”.
The Chief Minister criticized the Congress for not displaying flags from its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, during Rahul Gandhi’s campaign in Wayanad, citing a violation of the party’s secular principles.
“This situation depicts the significant decline of the Congress party and the UDF, where they struggle to hold their party flag or that of their ally, the Muslim League, upright while courting votes,” Vijayan remarked at a press conference in Hyderabad. “Beyond the rhetoric generated by news-centric public relations firms, the Congress has no actual intellectual or practical reason to oppose the BJP. Congress’s fight with the BJP is mostly about electoral politics and power conflicts, rather than substantial ideological differences.
As a result, the Congress has grown into a party primarily concerned with gaining inroads in the arena of power politics,” he explained.
While expressing confidence in the Left Democratic Front’s excellent performance in the coming Kerala general election, he also questioned the validity of pre-poll surveys.
“Just as we frequently debate paid news, certain surveys have taken on a similar tone. Certain media outlets have been very active in disseminating half truths, exaggerations, and misleading information to their audiences,” he stated.
“People are asking if this survey is biased. Can you give the audience the scientific analysis that led to this conclusion? The pre-poll survey findings do not reveal the survey methodology, such as the sample size or how the results were predicted. These data, which are supported by certain agencies, only serve to deceive the public. The pre-poll survey results from the last assembly elections are a clear example of this deception,” he said.
Although the Left parties and the Congress are part of a bigger INDIA bloc, they oppose each other in Kerala, where the Congress is currently in opposition as part of the UDF coalition.
Kerala’s 20 constituencies will vote on April 26 in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party won 15 seats, its allies, the Indian Union Muslim League, won two, the Revolutionary Socialist Party won one, and the Kerala Congress (M) won one. The Communist Party of India (socialist) took one seat in Alappuzha.