Thiruvananthapuram, March 26 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress and its leader have historically functioned as the “B-team of the BJP”, even as he dismissed charges of a “Communist Janata Party” i.e. a purported CPI(M)-BJP nexus in the state.

Responding to LoP Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of an “unholy alliance” between the BJP and CPI(M) in Kerala, CM Vijayan said it was in fact the Congress that had consistently adopted positions enabling the BJP’s rise in several states.

He accused the party of weakening broader anti-BJP coalitions and fragmenting Opposition unity at critical junctures.

“Despite being a national leader, Rahul Gandhi does not understand the ground realities even at the level of local party workers,” CM Vijayan said, adding that he had failed to learn from repeated political setbacks.

According to him, Rahul Gandhi’s political approach has often ended up benefiting the BJP across states.

The Chief Minister pointed to developments in Delhi, noting that while the BJP has pursued Opposition leaders through legal cases, LoP Rahul Gandhi had questioned when a minister in Arvind Kejriwal’s Cabinet was taken into custody, why was Kejriwal not arrested.

However, when courts later cleared Kejriwal, the episode proved embarrassing not just for the BJP but also for Rahul Gandhi, said CM Vijayan.

He further alleged that in the Delhi elections, the Congress failed to adopt a position aimed at preventing a BJP victory, instead targeting the Aam Aadmi Party, which had a stronger chance electorally.

A similar pattern, he said, was evident in Haryana, where Congress opposition to broader alliances led to a split in non-BJP votes, ultimately benefiting the BJP.

Vijayan’s remarks came in response to Rahul Gandhi’s virtual address from Delhi to a Congress-led UDF rally in Kozhikode on Wednesday night.

In his speech, LoP Rahul accused CM Vijayan of maintaining a “soft” stance towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he was receiving benefits not extended to other non-Congress Chief Ministers.

Taking the attack further, LoP Rahul Gandhi coined the term “CJP (Communist Janata Party)”, suggesting that Kerala was witnessing a tacit alignment between the CPI(M) and the BJP.

Rejecting the charge, CM Vijayan reiterated that such claims were politically-motivated, even as the war of words between the Congress and the Left escalates ahead of the Assembly polls.

–IANS

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