KASARGOD: The Congress party in the state will now consider BJP as its primary opponent, ahead of the CPM-led LDF, at the launch of its state-wide Janapaksha Yatra in Kumbla. With nearly 200 party leaders cutting across factional groups on the dais, CM Oommen Chandy trained his guns on BJP after flagging off the campaign on Tuesday.
“Some people are wishing for a Congress-free country after tasting victory and coming to power. An India without the Congress is wishful thinking,” he said, against the backdrop of the party’s worst-ever electoral performance in May.
In an effort to boost the morale of the partymen, he said the Congress was a party of comebacks. “We are not a party which will plunge into despair because of the defeat. The party would learn from the lessons taught by the people and go forward,” he said to the applause of the jam-packed shamiana pitched on the side of the Police Station Road in Kumbla. He blamed the Left for its downfall and indirectly accused it for aiding the rise of BJP. “The Left’s ruin started when it deserted the Congress. It is now regretting its decision. Only the Congresscan uphold the secular credentials of the country,” he said, adding that the Left was now wishing for a Congress government at the Centre.
The CM said that the violent politics practised by the “Marxist party” and BJP had often put the state on tenterhooks.