On Wednesday, Senior CPI-M leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched a fierce critique of Congress, questioning its commitment to secularism and its capacity to unify a diverse coalition of secular and regional forces against the BJP at both national and state levels.

In an article published in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Desabhimani’, ahead of the 24th state conference of CPI-M set to commence in Kollam on Thursday, Vijayan indicated that secular factions can no longer place their trust in Congress.

He highlighted that Congress played a crucial role in facilitating the BJP’s triumphs in Delhi and Haryana.

“Congress asserts that they are the only ones capable of resisting the Sangh Parivar. But what is the reality? In Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, discontent among farmers regarding central policies significantly influenced the BJP’s performance in recent Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Nevertheless, it was Congress’s actions that enabled the BJP’s success in these states,” Vijayan stated in the article.

He noted that in both 2015 and 2020, Congress failed to secure any seats in the Delhi Assembly. Instead of concentrating on defeating the BJP, Congress prioritized undermining the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is the principal opposition in Delhi. Vijayan accused Congress leaders of publicly declaring that it was not their duty to support AAP’s victory.

Furthermore, Vijayan asserted that the Left has been pivotal in confronting and revealing the harmful policies of the Sangh Parivar-led central government, rallying public support, and challenging Congress’s claim of being the sole entity capable of opposing the BJP.

He emphasized that the Left has been instrumental in key struggles, from resisting demolition drives in Delhi to challenging religious-based citizenship laws in the Supreme Court, as well as leading historic farmers’ protests and advocating for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, and opposing the BJP’s corporate-funded Electoral Bond Scheme.

“The Left has consistently been at the forefront of defending India’s secular and democratic ethos against these ongoing assaults,” he asserted in the article, encouraging secular parties, particularly the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), to reassess their alliance with Congress.

In response to Vijayan’s criticisms, senior Congress leader and Opposition Leader in the Kerala assembly, VD Satheesan, contended that the only party that has compromised with the BJP is the CPI-M, the party led by Pinarayi Vijayan.

At a press conference, Satheesan remarked that Congress has always taken a firm stand against the Sangh Parivar.

“Where has Rahul Gandhi ever reportedly compromised with the BJP? It is Pinarayi Vijayan’s CPI-M that has made arrangements with the BJP. While opposition parties, barring CPI-M, have denounced Narendra Modi’s government as fascist, CPI-M is the only one suggesting that the BJP is not a fascist party. The previous stance of former General Secretary Sitaram Yechury branding the BJP as a fascist entity has now been forsaken by CPI-M,” Satheesan asserted.

He added, “While opposition parties, including Congress, label the Modi government as fascist, CPI-M now claims that it is not even ‘neo-fascist’. The same individuals who now argue that the BJP is not fascist are the ones attempting to lecture us.”

Criticizing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, KPCC President K. Sudhakaran remarked that Vijayan reflects the BJP’s viewpoint that secular parties cannot trust Congress, suggesting he should align more closely with the RSS.

“The Chief Minister, who cannot call the BJP fascist, is continually attacking the Congress, which leads the INDIA bloc,” Sudhakaran argued. He further alleged that Pinarayi Vijayan ascended to the Chief Minister’s position with BJP’s support and that all cases of corruption, including the Lavalin case, were buried through a behind-the-scenes deal with the BJP.