Congress rejects SDPI support in Kerala for Lok Sabha election but welcomes individual voters
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Fearing backlash in North India, the Congress state leadership has decided to reject the support extended by SDPI in the Lok Sabha election. Talking to reporters at Indira Bhavan, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan and party president in-charge M M Hassan said they would reject support from both majority and minority communalism in the same manner. However, Satheesan said an individual can take a call on whom to cast their votes.
The SDPI had decided to extend its support to the UDF on Monday. The Congress and the UDF leadership were caught unawares by this move. Following this Satheesan claimed that the UDF hasn't sought support from the SDPI. It also saw the CPM and BJP taking it up politically against the UDF pushing them to the quandary.
Interestingly, Congress state president K Sudhakaran who is defending his seat in Kannur Lok Sabha constituency had told reporters there on Wednesday that the UDF will accept the support from anyone, including the CPM. But in less than 24 hours, Satheesan and Hassan decided against it.
"The Congress will oppose both majority and minority communalism. We view the support extended by SDPI in the same way. An individual can cast his/her vote as per their wish. But we don't see the communal outfits extending their support to us in the same way. It looks like as if the CPM says that we had accepted their support", said Satheesan.
He also demanded to know whether the LDF has the guts to reject such an offer of support if it's extended to the LDF. Hassan cast serious aspersions against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan comparing him with Joseph Goebbbels, a Nazi politician and chief propagandist of the Nazi Party.