Pinarayi Vijayan slams Rahul, Congress as BJP’s ‘B-Team’ again

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday (March 21) lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him and his party of being the "B-team of BJP." This was the second time in a week that he made the same allegation.

Vijayan, in a sarcasm-laced criticism of Rahul, dubbed him a “rare phenomenon” who fails to learn despite experiencing something first-hand.

The Chief Minister made the remarks in response to a question regarding Rahul’s recent comment that central agencies have arrested or called for questioning other Opposition leaders in the country, except the Kerala CM.

"Some people don't learn even if they see or experience something. They are not normal people. They are a rare phenomenon. That is something that happens to those who are normally incapable of grasping things. Rahul Gandhi falls into that category," the CM told PTI.

Reference to Kejriwal’s case

The CPI (M) veteran said that the Congress leadership, including Rahul, had earlier made serious allegations against former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal but was later left red-faced as the AAP supremo was given a clean chit by the court.

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"It was a heavy blow to the face of the Congress leadership, including Rahul Gandhi. Despite that, it is pathetic that he is repeating the same thing. That is why I said they do not learn from what they have seen and experienced,” he said.

BJP ‘B-team’ charge

"What we can see if we examine the national-level affairs is that the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi has become the actual B-team of the BJP. But, I'm not going into its details now," added Vijayan.

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He further alleged that the Congress-BJP alliance has been seen in the state many times in the past, but it was not yet clear how things would turn out in the upcoming polls.

Vijayan said that both parties oppose the LDF in the same way, and they appeared to be getting along very well. "The Congress and UDF have become a faction that has no hesitation in allying with the BJP," the CM said.

Charge of appeasement politics

Accusing the Congress of appeasement politics, the CM said that the grand old party was seeking the support of groups engaged in majority and minority communalism.

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The CPI (M)-led LDF is against any form of communalism and does not seek the support of any group engaged in communal activities, the CM said.

"One should be able to keep any communalism at bay. Those who prioritise votes cannot do that, and that's what has happened to the UDF now. The UDF is preparing to compromise with communalism, which is a danger to the nation, no matter what kind it is,” he added.

Sabarimala gold loss issue

As for the Sabarimala gold loss issue, Vijayan said that the investigation of the matter was being monitored by the Kerala High Court, which has not found fault with the probe, irrespective of the claims to the contrary by the Congress-led UDF.

He said that the government's stand was also clear that anyone involved in the matter would not be spared, and therefore, the opposition allegations against the CPI (M) on the issue would have no impact in the upcoming Assembly polls on April 9.

He contended that the UDF was raising the issue repeatedly only to check whether it could influence voters through that, as they have no other factual ground to attack the government.

(With agency inputs)