Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 7: Days ahead of a crucial meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has raised strong objections to remarks made by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the recent Kerala Assembly election campaign, accusing the Congress of undermining opposition unity.
CPI(M) general secretary M. A. Baby criticised Gandhi for alleging a nexus between the BJP and the Left and for questioning why former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had not been questioned or arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The INDIA bloc meeting, scheduled in New Delhi on Jun 8, will be the alliance's first formal gathering since December 2023. The meeting assumes significance as the opposition grouping seeks to reassess its strategy after losing the Lok Sabha elections and securing victories in only two of the 14 Assembly elections held subsequently.
While parties such as the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Samajwadi Party are expected to attend, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has announced that it will stay away, citing the Congress' alliance with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu as a betrayal.
Baby said he would not attend the meeting due to prior engagements in Kerala and that CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Brittas would represent the party instead.
In a letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Baby referred to what he described as a systematic campaign by Congress leaders during the Kerala elections alleging that the CPI(M) had reached an understanding with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He stated that senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Kharge, repeatedly made such allegations during the campaign.
Questioning Gandhi's calls for ED action against Vijayan, Baby asked whether such remarks could genuinely be described as anti-BJP politics or whether they amounted to encouraging the Modi government to take action against a fellow opposition leader.
“Unless these matters are clarified, the very purpose of the INDIA bloc would be in question,” Baby said in the letter, urging the Congress leadership to clear the air over what he termed disruptive actions.
Recalling the formation of the INDIA alliance in 2023, Baby said the CPI(M) had consistently worked towards building a united platform against the BJP and could not take allegations of collusion lightly.
He also highlighted the party's long-standing opposition to the RSS-BJP, noting that many CPI(M) workers had lost their lives in political violence in Kerala. He further pointed to the absence of communal riots during the Left Democratic Front's decade-long rule in the state as evidence of the party's commitment to secularism and communal harmony.
The letter comes amid an ongoing ED investigation involving Vijayan and follows the recent defeat of the Left Democratic Front in the Kerala Assembly elections to the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
Despite the differences, Baby reiterated that the CPI(M) remains committed to the INDIA bloc and would continue to cooperate with alliance partners in opposing the BJP-led government at the Centre.