THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Sunday criticised the Congress party for discontinuing the representation of minority communities for its leadership. He said the move was part of the new policy of Rahul Gandhi.
"The Congress, being a party that recognises secularism, had always picked either the Opposition leader or KPCC president from minority communities. Why did they exclude minorities this time? (It's) because they have implemented Rahul Gandhi's new politics in Kerala. The RSS wants the Congress and BJP to work for Hindus. Rahul Gandhi is out to execute the RSS' vision," Kodiyeri said, while addressing the party district conference here on Sunday.
Earlier, when Oommen Chandy was the chief minister, Mullappally Ramachandran was the KPCC president, he said. "Rahul Gandhi had said that India is a Hindu country and that it should be ruled by Hindus. Is the Congress following the policy that Hindus should rule the country? Minorities are distancing themselves from Congress because of this change in the party," he said.
Justifying organising party conferences during the pandemic, he said: "The meetings are being held as per the protocol and public meetings have been avoided. The delay in holding the conferences will affect the democratic functioning of the party."
Meanwhile, he alleged vested interests behind the the opposition to SilverLine. "The Indian Railways is being privatised. The BJP government is trying to hand over railway lines in Kerala to corporates. Trains running in Kerala like Malabar Express and Amritha Express are kept for sale. Private players are planning to run services using old trains bought from Japan. This lobby is behind the opposition. Corporates are giving advice and support to the protests by Congress and the BJP," he said, adding K-Rail will not end up in the hands of the corporates.
Kodiyeri also said the SilverLine project was essential for Kerala's development. "The new generation needs modern facilities. They wish for a change. Shouldn't we facilitate that? For us, the future doesn’t mean just five years, but fifty. We have begun efforts to make Kerala the most developed state in the country," he said.