Ahead of INDIA bloc meet on Mon, CPI(M) seeks Congress clarification over BJP ‘deal’ charge
According to sources, Baby wrote a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, heavily criticizing the Congress for its attacks on the CPI(M). Copies of the letter were also sent to other INDIA block partners.
An opposition leader who received the letter argued that the repeated accusations by senior Congress leaders, including Baby, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Kharge, went beyond routine election rhetoric and damaged the foundations of the opposition alliance formed to jointly oppose the BJP.
Also Read: ‘Elect good people, results will be good’: UP CM Yogi launches 262 projects in Gonda
Referring to the Congress campaign in Kerala, the CPI(M) leader accused the Congress of running a “systematic campaign”, claiming that the Left and the BJP had reached a political understanding and that the then chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had a special understanding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said such accusations were incompatible with the spirit of cooperation that supported the INDIA bloc.
He further stated that the INDIA bloc has been created as a broad platform to fight the BJP politically and parties with different ideologies and programs that are rivals in the elections in various states have come together for this purpose, adding that the CPI(M) has been working consistently to strengthen opposition unity since the formation of the alliance in 2023.Also Read: AIADMK crisis deepens as four former ministers and former MLAs join ruling TVK in Chennai
Questioning the Congress’s stance, Baby noted that the party was simultaneously partnering with the CPI(M) at the national level and accused it of colluding with the BJP in Kerala, and said this cannot be taken lightly.
Warning that the issue had implications for opposition cohesion, Baby said the Congress leadership needed to “clear the air” about what he called “destructive moves” before the INDIA bloc meeting on June 8.
“Unless these issues are clarified, the purpose of the INDIA bloc will be questioned,” Baby said in his letter.
Even while raising the issue, the CPI(M) reiterated its commitment to opposition coordination.
Baby said the party would continue to work with its INDIA bloc partners and other opposition parties within Parliament to resist what he described as the Modi government’s “authoritarian, anti-social and anti-people policies”.
This is not the first time the CPI(M) has flagged the issue. Baby, on various occasions since the conclusion of the Kerala assembly elections, has repeatedly criticized the Congress for alleged tacit understanding between the Left and the BJP, and maintained that such accusations undermine the credibility of the opposition alliance.
Top leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are scheduled to meet in the national capital on Monday to discuss their joint strategy to counter the BJP-led government and strengthen opposition unity.
According to sources, those likely to attend the meeting include TMC chief and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge.
It seems unlikely that DMK and AAP will attend the meeting.
