On Saturday (6th April), Kerala’s chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed its ally in the I.N.D.I. Alliance Congress party. The criticism by the CPI(M) leader was regarding the recently published election manifesto of the grand old party. Vijayan said that the Congress failed to meet the challenges posed by Hindutva politics. He even accused Congress of taking a stand similar to that of the Sangh Pariwar.
Addressing people at Alappuzha in Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan said, “While the CPI(M) manifesto clearly states its intention to cancel the divisive CAA, the Congress manifesto maintains a conspicuous silence on the matter.” The CPI(M) manifesto pledged to eliminate what it criticised as “draconian” statutes, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Vijayan, an outspoken opponent of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) who has previously declared that his administration will not enforce it in the state, stated that a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliated group initiated the issuance of eligibility certificates for citizenship under the CAA. He said, “Despite these developments, the Congress does not openly comment on the law. This stance raises questions about the Congress party’s attitude towards the Citizenship Amendment Act. Congress’ stand always aligned with that of the Sangh Parivar.”
He added, “People have understood that there is no point in voting for the Congress party from their experience in the last five years. The Left parties seek votes from the people to uproot the BJP which has been implementing dangerous policies in the country. We don’t change our politics for the sake of a few votes.” Vijayan remarked that the forthcoming elections will determine the trajectory of the nation, emphasising that casting votes for the Congress would be futile.
About the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said, “We are contesting this election to bring down the BJP from power and that’s why we have actively joined the anti-BJP front at the national level. We would like to make one thing clear. The BJP will not only face defeat in all 20 seats, they will even fail to secure the second position in any constituency this time.” Kerala has 20 Lok Sabha and it is scheduled to vote on 26th April during the second phase of the general elections. Vote counting is slated for 4th June.
CPIM also published its manifesto one day after Congress
On Thursday (4th April), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party, which has only 3 seats in the lower House of the Parliament, laid out its nefarious agenda elaborately in a 44-page document [pdf]. CPIM has vowed to scrap the visionary National Education Policy 2020, enacted by the Modi government. It has also assured the introduction of caste-based reservation in education and employment in the private sector if the party is elected to power.