India News | CPI Criticises Congress' Reported Move to Field Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad in LS Polls

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 4 (PTI) Kerala's ruling CPI(M) on Monday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's reported move to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Left-ruled state, saying that the Wayanad MP should focus on combating the "fascist policies" of the BJP rather than involving himself in intra-state political rivalries.

A day after the Congress suffered a severe blow in the polls held in three major north Indian states, CPI (M) Kerala state secretary M V Govindan said Gandhi should contest from a place where the BJP has any influence and added that the saffron party is not an important force in Kerala.

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Govindan argued that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), formed by opposition parties to jointly combat the BJP, has a good chance if it seeks to consolidate every vote against the saffron party from all states.

"Political parties, including the Congress, have created a broader platform to fight against the BJP's fascism. Kerala is one of its important states. Should he contest in such a state to defeat the BJP or in an area where the BJP has influence?" Govindan asked.

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Addressing a press conference here, the Marxist leader said that it was up to the Congress party to decide whether Gandhi should contest from Kerala or not.

"There is no need for the CPI(M) to say not to contest here. Any politician with common decency knows that this is not the place to contest," Govindan said, adding that the CPI(M)'s politics have always been to defeat the BJP.

"During the first UPA government, the CPI(M) supported the Congress to prevent the BJP from coming to power. That is our politics," Govindan said.

The CPI(M) leader also lashed out at the Congress party over its dismal show in the elections held in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, saying the grand old party did not even have a minimum programme to fight or defeat the BJP.

Slamming the Congress for refusing to forge tie-ups with secular parties in the states, the senior Left leader also said that had the anti-BJP votes been consolidated, the political landscape of the country would have changed.

"In all three states where the BJP came to power, it did not get 50 per cent of the votes. The BJP got only 37 per cent nationally in the last parliament elections. That means 63 percent of the population is anti-BJP.

"The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) has a good chance if it tries to consolidate every anti-BJP vote from all states," Govindan said.

Continuing his attack on the Congress, Govindan said that the party does not have the ability to lead the INDIA alliance nor the ability to take on the BJP alone.

"Think about Congress in Kerala. Without the League (Indian Union Muslim League), can Rahul Gandhi contest in Wayanad? The Muslim League is the backbone of the

UDF (United Democratic Front) here. Similar is the situation in Tamil Nadu and other states," Govindan said.

The Left leader said instead of joining hands with other parties part of INDIA alliance, the Congress contested alone which divided the anti-BJP votes, giving an upper hand to the saffron party.

He added that the Congress is adopting a Hindutva stance, not a secular stance. "That's what we saw in Madhya Pradesh," he said.

Govindan said BJP's defeat was necessary for the "survival" of the country. "In today's scenario in India, if the BJP is not defeated, then there will be no democratic system in this country, no secularism, no constitution. They will implement the Hindutva agenda in a fascist manner," he said.

During his recent visit to Kerala, Gandhi had said that the southern state and the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency felt like home to him, hinting at a potential preference to contest from the hill constituency in the upcoming polls next year.

With less than six months remaining before the scheduled Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi also said that coming to Kerala and Wayanad did not feel like work. “I consider it like coming back to my family and meeting my friends. The more I come to Kerala and Wayanad, the more I feel that it is my home,” he had said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)