Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 24 (IANS): Kerala's ruling CPI-M on Wednesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against the state's Pinarayi Vijayan government and termed him a "recruiting agent of the BJP".
A statement issued here after a meeting of the CPI-M state Secretariat said it was really surprising to note that a top national Congress leader's speech did not have even a weak statement against the BJP.
"His speech sounded that he was the recruiting agent of the BJP, which is shocking," it said, adding it "reveals the communal intent, which has become the fuel for numerous Congress legislators in other states to turn towards the BJP".
"It was unbecoming of Gandhi to have made such statements and has lowered his stock. His remarks on gold smuggling and about jobless youths might be with regards to the Congress party, when it ruled the Centre. Also he would have the picture of Robert Vadra, presently facing numerous cases . He (Gandhi) is one who is presently on bail in a financial fraud case. Not long ago he was the one who attacked these central agencies, but when he came to Kerala, he has done a somersault and says these agencies are going slow on cases here... one has a doubt, if he has a secret deal with the BJP," it said.
The CPI-M secretariat also noted that it was the globalisation policies of the Congress government in 1991 which gave permission to foreign trawlers to enter our seas and the same has happened in the agrarian sector also.
Gandhi, who represents the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, had, in his address at a massive rally to mark conclusion of the statewide yatra of Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, had gone hammer and tongs against Vijayan and the CPI-M, attacking it on issues ranging from the gold smuggling case to the "backdoor" appointments row.
He even went to the extent of hinting at a new-found relation between the BJP and the CPI-M.
Many Congressmen who heard Gandhi were perplexed as this was the first time that he had unleashed a scathing attack on the CPI-M after remaining mum during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections though it was the Congress's principal opponent in Kerala.