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The Hindu
The Hindu
National
The Hindu Bureau

Congress has become untrustworthy for minorities, says Rajeeve

Industries Minister P. Rajeeve has dubbed the Congress as an untrustworthy party for minorities.

He was responding to queries of media persons over the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) declaring its support for the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the alleged support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for UDF candidate Adoor Prakash in Attingal.

Mr. Rajeeve observed that the Citizenship Amendment Act and its rules notified by the Central government had emerged as a major issue during the Lok Sabha elections. “It is tough to imagine that a party that has failed to speak out against it will manage to galvanise support from minorities simply on account of support from the SDPI. Even those sections who support the SDPI are unlikely to vote for the Congress.

“The Congress has become a system which could turn into BJP at anytime. Left Democratic Front [LDF] MPs will be a fixed deposit for any non-BJP government at the Centre. In 2004, 61 Left MPs who emerged victorious beating the Congress did not have to think even a split second to back the Congress to keep the BJP at bay. Whereas the BJP’s Assam Chief Minister, who was with the Congress in the past, has said that Congress MPs and MLAs will be fixed deposit for the BJP,” Mr. Rajeeve said.

The Congress, which has emerged the leading party with 28 seats in Manipur after the Assembly polls in 2017, has gifted away the power to the BJP that formed a government there which treated minorities with disdain. Not a single member from the Congress high command had gone to the State to tell other political parties to keep the BJP away.

Mr. Rajeeve said that the clandestine understanding between the Congress and the BJP was now out in the open with the alleged support of the BJP for the UDF’s Adoor Prakash. The Congress always attacks the CPI(M) over the BJP tryst to cover this up.

“The Kerala’s Congress leadership is on a mission to make the party here into a system that can be converted to BJP at anytime. So, it is not a surprise. People who want India to remain a secular nation are unlikely to trust the Congress, which has stitched together an understanding with the SDPI and the BJP,” he said.

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