Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Saturday accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of attempting to undermine the struggle against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by spreading the false narrative that the Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi, was muted in its Opposition to the “patently anti-Muslim” Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
On Friday, Mr. Vijayan accused the Congress of pussyfooting around the contentious subject and unwilling to take the Sangh Parivar bull by the horns out of fear of alienating Hindu rightwing votes. He had also criticised the party for distancing itself from the Left Democratic Front (LDF’s) anti-CAA agitation.
Mr. Satheesan underscored that Congress would have no truck with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala. He said Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) did not need a leg up from the LDF to organise protests or push the secular cause.
Moreover, he said Mr. Vijayan had repeatedly sought to undermine the Congress to help the BJP.
Mr. Satheesan said Mr. Gandhi had placed himself at the forefront of the anti-CAA protests in 2019. The BJP attacked Mr. Gandhi in the Lok Sabha for his unflinching stance against the law that struck at the Constitution’s secular foundation.
‘False narrative’
Mr. Satheesan said the BJP was the sole beneficiary of Mr. Vijayan’s “false narrative”. He said Mr. Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was aimed at bringing society together. Mr Gandhi had repeatedly targeted the BJP for dividing the country on religious lines to reap political dividends by spreading hate and mistrust among communities.
‘CPI(M) , BJP in cahoots’
He said the CPI(M) and BJP were in cahoots in Kerala. The Central government’s investigation in sensational cases had ground to a halt or entered blind alleys.
In reciprocation, the State government has dropped prosecution in important cases, including corruption, election bribery and hawala cases against BJP leaders in Kerala. Both parties were marching in lockstep to undermine Congress. The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) ransacked Mr. Gandhi’s office in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.
Moreover, Mr. Vijayan was reluctant to withdraw cases registered against anti-CAA protestors, most of whom were United Democratic Front (UDF) activists, in 2019.
