THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Stating that communal politics is gradually making its way into Kerala too, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday called for strict vigilance against the same. Reiterating the Left Front’s claims of an unholy political nexus between the UDF and the BJP in the local body polls, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the hidden nexus between the two led to the BJP win in Thiruvananthapuram corporation.
“The Congress and UDF suffered significant vote loss in wards won by the BJP. A share of BJP’s win in the corporation is definitely due to this adjustment move, about which even the people are aware,” the CM said in a press meet here. He said that moves of mutual understanding were evident from both sides at the local level, which can be easily understood by analysing the election figures.
“Even though Congress makes tall claims about secularism, they will team up with any communal force to get votes. But we are not politically mean to join hands with any such powers for the sake of four votes or two seats. This kind of communalism is a threat to our state,” he said.
Speaking about past incidents where Congress allegedly joined hands with BJP, the chief minister mentioned the old ‘Co-Le-Bi’ alliance from the 90s, the victory of the first BJP MLA from Nemom in 2016, and the first MP from Thrissur in 2024.
“Even the UDF candidate from Nemom later spoke out that the front didn’t poll its traditional votes. People are now clear that Congress facilitated this win for the BJP,” he said. Though LDF didn’t win from Thrissur in 2024, we managed to improve our votes, while Congress suffered a massive vote loss, which directly went to BJP, he added.
Stressing the need for public caution against a growing communal approach in society, the CM said that people should focus on whether Kerala is falling short of retaining its symbol as the strongest face of secularism. “Is Kerala changing from what it is, and the direction forward are matters to be considered seriously,” Pinarayi said. He also said that several of the state’s specialities- including our culture and secular values- will be lost if we fall short in this area.