Vijayan accuses Cong of 'aiding' BJP's rise

Kerala chief minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the Congress of adopting an "arrogant" approach towards regional parties opposing BJP, questioning how "secular and democratic voters" of the country could trust such a party.

- Vishnu Varma

KOCHI: Kerala chief minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the Congress of adopting an "arrogant" approach towards regional parties opposing BJP, questioning how "secular and democratic voters" of the country could trust such a party.

Vijayan's critique of the Congress in an article published in a local newspaper on Wednesday came a day before the CPI(M)'s Kerala state conference begins in Kollam. While the Congress leads the opposition UDF in the southern state, ruled by the CPI(M)-led LDF, the two parties are allies in the INDIA bloc at the national level.

"In states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, the farmer protests had caused significant blowback for BJP in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. And yet, it was the Congress policies that led to BJP coming to power in those states. It claimed to have the strength it never possessed. It stood against the accumulation of secular votes. And so, the Congress adopted a role that worked against the public sentiments (to unseat the BJP). By splitting the secular votes, it helped the BJP win in those states," Vijayan wrote.