THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/PATHANAMTHITTA: In what could spell more trouble for the INDIA bloc, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday unleashed a scathing attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for targeting Rahul Gandhi but remaining silent on the BJP. Priyanka alleged that Pinarayi is ‘compromised’ as he attacks only the Congress and Rahul.
She alleged that the Kerala CM has teamed up with the BJP to target the Congress. The AICC general secretary said the CM’s name has come up in various scams, including gold smuggling, during the LDF’s rule, but the BJP government at the Centre has not taken any action against him. She alleged an understanding between the BJP and the Left front.
“If a player is compromised in a football match, then the team is bound to lose. Your CM is compromised. He only attacks Rahul and the Congress and never speaks a word against the BJP,” Priyanka said during a public meeting as part of the campaigning of UDF’s Pathanamthita candidate Anto Antony on Saturday.
Priyanka’s statements come close on the heels of a war of words between Rahul and Pinarayi. Casting aspersions on Pinarayi for “hobnobbing with the BJP”, Rahul had asked why the Union government is not taking action against Pinarayi while two CMs are in jail. In a sharp retort, Pinarayi reminded Rahul that his grandmother (Indira Gandhi) had jailed him during Emergency.
On Saturday, Pinarayi sought to put the Congress on the mat for being silent on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in its manifesto. “A responsible newspaper in the country has brought out a report,” Pinarayi said naming The New Indian Express. “It said there was mention of CAA in the initial draft of the Congress manifesto but later it was dropped. How could the Congress ignore such a crucial matter? As per the TNIE report, those who prepared the manifesto included this part. But the leaders decided against including this portion,” Pinarayi said at Purameri in Kozhikode.
‘BJP not speaking about real issues’
Addressing a massive campaign rally in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, Priyanka took potshots at Pinarayi without naming him. “This election is your match. The Congress and the UDF are your team and you know what’s best. He has been attacking only my brother and the Congress, and has not targeted the BJP. My brother walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to appeal to the people to unite and show everyone Gandhi’s way of peace, progress and harmony,” said Priyanka.
“The BJP may ask what the grand old party achieved in the past 70 years. The greatest achievement is our visible democracy. If we look at Pakistan and Bangladesh we can see the difference. Pakistan became independent at the time we got freedom. But see the condition there,” she remarked.
Accusing the Modi government of undermining institutions meant to safeguard the rights of the common man, she urged the public to vote for the preservation of the democratic framework and to support the Congress in refocusing politics on the issues faced by ordinary citizens. Attacking Narendra Modi, the Congress leader said the PM’s friends like Adani are controlling the media as they bought most of them, adding that even the judiciary is being bullied and agencies are being misused. “BJP is not talking about real issues,” she said, adding that they are not concerned about farmers or common man.
Priyanka also touched upon issues like inflation, rocketing prices of fuel and sufferings of common people. She said Kerala has the highest fuel prices in the country, adding the LDF government has not been doing anything in this regard. She alleged that while many remain jobless only CPM workers get jobs. She pointed out that many youngsters form the state were even forced to go to war-torn Russia to fight against Ukraine.
Priyanka accused both the CPM and the BJP of failing to ensure justice for rape victims. “Whenever there is violence against women, it’s not just the BJP but the LDF government too that protects the culprits. In Kerala, you saw it in Walayar and Vandiperiyar,” she said.
In Pathanamthitta, Priyanka highlighted the subsidy of rubber if her party is voted to power. She also spoke about the Manipur violence, and vowed to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act, among other promises. UDF candidate Anto Antony and senior leader PJ Kurien were present.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Priyanka led a massive four-km road show from Valiyathura to Poonthura, along the coastal belt with UDF candidate Shashi Tharoor.