Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi here on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing him of collaborating with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to target the Congress and neglecting the day-to-day issues faced by the common man.
“Your Chief Minister is compromised. He only attacks Rahul Gandhi and the Congress and never speaks a word against the BJP,” remarked Ms. Gandhi, addressing an election convention in Pathanamthitta on Saturday.
Highlighting the involvement of Mr. Vijayan in various scandals, she questioned why the Union government hesitated to take action against him, also citing the Kerala government’s alleged inaction against the BJP State president in a black money case.
“One man walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to beg this country to unite.. He spoke to you and mingled with you, asked you what your problems are, and he continues to speak. This man fights for justice, for democracy and the people, yet the Chief Minister attacks him,” she said, in an apparent reference to the recent criticism of Mr. Gandhi by Mr. Vijayan.
Violence against women
Ms. Gandhi also drew parallels between the BJP and the CPI(M), accusing both parties of failing to ensure justice for rape victims. “Whenever there is violence against women, it’s not just the BJP but the State government too that protects the culprits. In Kerala, you saw it in Walayar and Vandiperiyar,” she pointed out.
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of undermining institutions meant to safeguard the rights of the common man, she urged the public to vote for the preservation of the democratic framework and to support the Congress in refocusing politics on the issues faced by ordinary citizens.
Promises
She also pledged measures to grant agricultural status to natural rubber cultivation, address violence in Manipur, and repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The event was attended by Anto Antony, the United Democratic Front candidate for Pathanamathitta; District Congress Committee president Sathish Kochuparambil; and senior Congress leader P.J. Kurien.
