Kerala CM accuses UDF MPs of neglecting state’s interests in Parliament

PTI, Apr 20, 2024, 2:31 PM IST

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday attacked the Congress leadership including Wayanad MP, Rahul Gandhi, and alleged that for the past five years, the 18 UDF MPs from the state stood against the interest of Kerala in the Parliament and refused to speak up for the rights of the people of the southern state.

Addressing an election rally at Vatakara, where the Left party has fielded former health minister and MLA, K K Shailaja, the chief minister hit out at the Congress leadership over various matters including its stand on the CAA and the electoral bonds scam.

Reacting sharply to the Congress allegation that there was some understanding between the Left party and the BJP, Vijayan raked up the DLF-Robert Vadra connection and targeted AICC leader Priyanka Gandhi who was campaigning in the state.

”In 2019, 18 UDF members were elected. We would like to ask whether any one of these members stood for the interest of Kerala? They stood with the RSS agenda. They didn’t even care to criticise the union government in the Parliament. Have they uttered a single word for Kerala?,” Vijayan asked.

He said when the Centre was financially strangulating the state, the UDF members refused to meet the Union Finance Minister and did not stand up for the rights of Kerala.

”They (Congress) wanted to blame the Left government for the faults of the BJP-led union government,” Vijayan said.

The state Congress leadership had recently alleged that there was some understanding between the BJP and the Left party. Rahul Gandhi too had lashed out at Vijayan and wondered why the Left leader was targeting him while he was fighting against the BJP.

Vijayan said the Citizenship Amendment Act was the agenda of RSS and asked how a political party like the Congress could decide not to mention it in its election manifesto.

The senior Left leader claimed there were news reports indicating that strongly worded statements against CAA included in the draft of the Congress manifesto were removed after the top leadership intervened.

”When Sangh Parivar implements one of its agenda, the secular-minded people oppose it. Rahul Gandhi should make it clear whether he is a secular person or someone with the same mindset as that of the Sangh Parivar. How can the Congress not protest against such a Law?,” Vijayan asked.

Targeting Priyanka Gandhi, Vijayan referred to the CBI raids at a private company DLF.

He said there were allegations of land dealings between the company and Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi.

Vijayan claimed the company purchased electoral bonds for Rs 170 crore after raids. ”The same BJP government later told the court that there was nothing illegal with the transactions of the company. The raid and the case ended soon after they paid the BJP through the electoral bonds,” Vijayan said.

He also attacked the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, for his statement that there was some understanding between the BJP and the LDF.

Mentioning various Congress leaders who have joined the BJP in the past few months and DLF purchasing electoral bonds from BJP, Vijayan asked Satheesan not to spread lies against the Left party.

”After receiving Rs 170 crore through electoral bonds from the DLF, the BJP stopped the raids. The BJP government gave a clean chit to DLF and Vadra. Now, Satheesan needs to explain to us the understanding happened in this transaction,” Vijayan said.

The Left leader also lashed out at Satheesan for claiming at a recent press meet that the CPI(M) too received electoral bonds.

”The whole country knows that the Left parties were against the electoral bond system as it amounts to corruption and that it was the CPI(M) which moved the Supreme Court and exposed it,” Vijayan said.

Attacking Rahul Gandhi on his party stand on the contentious CAA, Vijayan said the Wayanad MP has not said a single word against it.

”The Congress protested jointly with the Left in Kerala but later it withdrew from the agitation after the national leadership opposed it. If we look at it, we can understand that the Congress has not uttered a single word against the CAA outside Kerala,” Vijayan said.

Vijayan was campaigning for Shailaja at Vatakara where the Congress has fielded its Palakkad MLA, Shafi Parambil.

The Lok Sabha elections in Kerala will be held on April 26 and the results will be out on June 4.