Kerala CM statement supporting Gandhi ‘not genuine’, CPI(M) has ‘double agenda’: Congress

Kochi/ Thiruvananthapuram/patna: The Congress on Saturday accused the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of having a “double agenda”, as they made statements supporting Rahul Gandhi and at the same time allegedly directed police to brutally attack protesting activists of KSU and party’s youth wing.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly V D Satheesan made the allegation a day after the CPI(M) in Kerala and Vijayan condemned Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha. Vijayan had termed it an attack on democracy by the Sangh Parivar as well as revenge politics of the BJP.

Satheesan said the statements made by them were “unfortunately not genuine”, as otherwise they would not have permitted the police to allegedly brutally beat up activists of the Kerala Students Union and the Youth Congress who held a protest march to Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday evening.

He also claimed that Congress workers who held a protest in Kozhikode were also brutally beaten up.

“Several young KSU and YC workers are hospitalised with serious head injuries. Who gave permission to the police to hit them on their heads? All this has happened with the active knowledge and direction of the CM. It was done to please the BJP,” the LoP said, speaking to reporters here.

“This government functions with a double agenda. Therefore, their statements supporting Rahul Gandhi are unfortunately not genuine,” Satheesan contended.

The Congress will organise a day-long ‘Satyagraha’ on Sunday in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi in front of Gandhi statues at all states and district headquarters to protest against his disqualification from the Lok Sabha. The satyagraha will begin at 10 am and end at 5 pm.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will stage the satyagraha at Raj Ghat in the national capital. On Gandhi’s disqualification, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said it is an “own goal” by BJP. Condemning the act of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Tharoor said that this issue, in the end, was going to be beneficial for the opposition parties and to Gandhi. “This has resulted in a few unintended consequences for the BJP,” Tharoor said, adding the incident had laid bare Indian democracy throughout the world.

Meanwhile, political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor on Saturday termed as “excessive” the two years’ imprisonment awarded to Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case and urged the ruling dispensation to show “a big heart” on the Congress leader’s disqualification.

Kishor also underscored that the Congress did not seem to be well prepared to reach out to the masses with the message that it has been wronged.