THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is not a leader perched in an ivory tower who appears only on television, said Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
Speaking to the media in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, he said the criticism levelled by the Chief Minister and CPM state secretariat against the Congress MP for his involvement in the causes of fishermen and farmers was inappropriate and derogatory. The CPM made such low remarks to propitiate its new friend BJP, he said.
The acts of Rahul Gandhi like riding a tractor in Wayanad in solidarity with the striking farmers in Delhi and venturing into the sea to protect the interest of fishermen have in fact provoked the CPM and Chief Minister, he said.
Though Pinarayi is not convinced about the role of Rahul Gandhi in the farmers' strike, his national leader Sitram Yechuri is well aware of the contribution of Rahul Gandhi in taking up the causes of farmers in the country.
The Chief Minister at one point of time went to the extent of saying that the Congress was behind the farmers' strike as part of his Modi Bhakti, claimed Chennithala, adding that he was expressing gratitude for the gold smuggling probe being undermined.
The Chief Minister now has no complaint against the central enforcement agencies and BJP state president K Surendaran is also silent on the gold smuggling, he alleged.