The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) meeting on Thursday seemed poised to launch a recriminatory pre-Lok Sabha election campaign casting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the “authoritarian villain” at the centre of the “corrupt and anti-people” Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration.
Speaking to newspersons after the leadership conclave, KPCC president K.Sudhakaran appeared to train his sight squarely on Mr. Vijayan.
“The CPI(M) central leadership is in thrall to Mr. Vijayan. Only CPI(M) leaders M.A.Baby and T.M. Thomas Isaac have aired some muted criticism against Mr. Vijayan. He should either correct course or resign,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.
Focus on corruption
He said the Congress would unsparingly highlight the corruption charges surrounding Mr. Vijayan’s family and office.
“Congress workers would knock on doors and speak about the hatchet men who run Mr. Vijayan’s office to advantage the Chief Minister’s family and subvert the police to target dissenters,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.
The meeting identified the corruption in CPI(M)-controlled cooperative banks as an issue that resonated strongly among the electorate.
“The Congress will hold mock trials across the State to hold the CPI(M) accountable for beggaring lakhs of cooperative society members,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.
Faith matters
The Congress also sought to forestall CPI(M)‘s forays into traditionally pro-United Democratic Front (UDF) Christian and Muslim votes by highlighting the party’s alleged disdain for faith.
The KPCC highlighted CPI(M) disparaging the religious practice of wearing hijab as regressive. It would highlight the BJP-orchestrated violence against minorities in Haryana and Manipur.
The Congress also demanded the the CPI(M) apologise for condemning the Hindu religion as a myth and sought to withdraw cases against those booked in connection with the Sabarimala agitation.
The meeting saw a clear path to victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by dialling up the tempo of political protest against the CPI(M) and BJP. It perceived the political climate in Kerala was conducive to a Congress victory. The executive felt the UDF could hold on to 19 out of the 20 seats it bagged in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, the jury was out on whether the Congress would experiment with new faces in the 2024 polls, stick to the old order or try a mix of both.
