THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress state leadership believes the high-voltage BJP-RSS campaign against the party over the Munambam land issue is part of a conspiracy to destroy the Congress politically.
The KPCC office-bearers’ meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday had a lengthy discussion on the matter.
Presenting his view during the meeting, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan is learnt to have said that the Sangh parivar campaign aims to divide the state’s Christian and Muslim minorities, who form the base of the Congress and the UDF, and thereby destroy the party. He also told the Congress leaders that both the BJP and the CPM have adopted the same strategy in the Munambam issue.
“The LDF governments of VS (Achuthanandan) and Pinarayi Vijayan have worsened the whole issue. However, the BJP doesn’t criticise the CPM or the LDF government. The current government’s decision of constituting a commission will drag the issue further in the court. Still, there is no criticism of the CPM. That’s because the BJP-RSS wants to see the destruction of the Congress,” Satheesan said. He also spoke of a bishop having told him personally that the Church was carried away by the BJP campaign.
“There was also an opinion within the Church that placing a board against Hibi Eden wasn’t right. After Union Minister Kiren Rijiju’s statement that the Waqf Amendment Act cannot resolve the issue, there is a feeling that the Congress had taken the right stand,” he added. Satheesan also reportedly said that there is an apprehension within the church whether their stand would later backfire.