Palakkad: The Congress on Friday attacked the ruling Left front in Kerala on various issues, including the CAA and the fielding of a candidate against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, as the state moves closer to the Lok Sabha polls on April 26.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that as the Left front is a part of the INDIA bloc, it should not have fielded a candidate against Gandhi in Wayanad, where he is a sitting MP, as he is the face of the alliance.
“Everywhere else the CPI(M) is campaigning along with the Congress and seeking votes in the name of Rahul Gandhi, but Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticises him.
“They (CPIM) should have supported him (Rahul Gandhi). Some political decency should have been shown since he is the face of the alliance,” Chennithala said at a press conference here.
The Congress leader also hit back at Vijayan for his repetitive allegation that the grand old party has been silent on the controversial citizenship law, CAA, by accusing the Marxist veteran of using the legislation to attract Muslim votes in the state.
Chennithala said that while Vijayan uses the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to attract Muslim votes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using it to woo Hindu electors in the state. “Both are trying to create communal polarisation. They both are trying to divide people on communal lines. So, what is the difference between the two?”
With regard to Vijayan’s claim that the Congress manifesto is also silent on the CAA, Chennithala said that it clearly states that all “black laws” brought by the NDA government in the past 10 years would be repealed or withdrawn when the INDIA bloc comes to power.
“It includes the CAA, the Uniform Civil Code and the abrogation of Article 370. If we come to power, these will be withdrawn in the very first cabinet meeting,” he asserted.
Chennithala also said that Vijayan’s government had lodged cases against those who had participated in the anti-CAA protests in the state and alleged that many of them were withdrawn only with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls.
He alleged that this indicates a lack of sincerity on behalf of the Kerala CM and CPI(M) on the CAA issue.
The Congress leader also blamed former state finance minister Thomas Isaac, who is presently contesting in the Lok Sabha polls from the Pathanamthitta constituency, for Kerala’s financial problems.
Chennithala said that unnecessary excessive borrowings and extravagant expenditure carried out during Isaac’s tenure as minister was the main cause of financial woes of the state.
The Kerala government has been blaming the Centre’s restrictive policies and alleged neglect towards the state for its financial problems. The state government has also moved the Supreme Court over the issue.
