‘Sinister agenda’: CPI(M) hits back at Rahul, Haq; accuses Congress of helping BJP

New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday launched a sharp counterattack against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Malikajun Haji’s criticism of the CPI in Kerala, accusing the Congress of targeting the Left to win elections while being soft on the BJP.In a strongly worded statement, the Communist Party of India (M) said the Congress had gone against its message of fighting authoritarian forces in the community and had instead become a “feeder organization of the Bharatiya Janata Party”.The CPI(M) politburo also strongly objected to what it termed “provocative statements” made by Rahul Gandhi and Haq against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his party’s secular credentials.“They are spreading such rumors to gain cheap electoral gains in the assembly elections. By targeting the CPI(M) instead of the BJP, the Congress leaders are going against their mandate to fight against the dictatorial forces of the communal. The people of Kerala will see through this sinister agenda,” the CPI(M) said in a statement.Rahul Gandhi and Haq took a swipe at the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) as they launched the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) campaign for the Kerala elections in Kozhikode on Wednesday.Gandhi claimed that there was an understanding between the LDF and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.“There are really only two parties fighting in Kerala. One is the Democratic Front alliance and the other is the partnership between the BJP and the LDF. The LDF unites the people, listens to their voices, embraces them and empowers them. The LDF and its hidden partners divide the people and suppress them,” he said while delivering a campaign speech through video conferencing.He also mentioned the cases against opposition leaders and questioned why similar action was not taken against the Kerala chief minister.Gandhi said that he personally handled around 40 cases and was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate for five consecutive days and claimed that no similar action was taken against Vijayan “despite the corruption cases”, which was a testament to the understanding between the BJP and the LDF.Responding to the allegations, the CPI(M), which is part of the same India group as the Congress, said the Congress should reflect on why many of its leaders from different states joined the BJP.The statement said: “It is known that the current BJP chief minister of Assam held important positions in the early Congress government. In Tripura, the entire Congress leadership joined the BJP in 2018 to defeat the Left Front. Many ministers in the alliance government and MPs belonging to the BJP were important leaders of the early Congress party. The Congress party became a feeder organization of the BJP.”The party further accused the Congress of allying with a few fundamentalist forces in the state.“Even in these elections, the Congress has allied itself with a few fundamentalist forces. The nexus of the Congress, the alliance and the BJP has been exposed in several elections in Kerala, including the recently concluded local body elections,” the report said.Kerala will go to polls on April 9 and counting of votes will be on May 4. The Congress-led UDF is seeking to oust the ruling LDF.