New Delhi, March 26 The CPI(M) accused the Congress of becoming a "feeder organization" for the BJP on Thursday and criticized its leaders, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, for "targeting" the Left instead of the saffron party in the election-bound state of Kerala.
It stated that this raises questions about the Congress's claim of "fighting communal-authoritarian forces" and also urged the party to introspect why several of its leaders have switched to the BJP.
In a statement, the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the Left party "strongly disapproves the provocative statements" made by Gandhi and Kharge against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the secular credentials of the CPI(M).
"They are spreading such falsehoods to gain cheap electoral advantages in the assembly elections. By targeting the CPI(M) instead of the BJP, the Congress leaders are reneging on their claim of fighting communal-authoritarian forces. The people of Kerala will see through this sinister agenda," it said.
"The Congress leaders must introspect as to why, in state after state, their leaders have deserted the party and joined the BJP," it said.
The CPI(M) stated that it is a well-known fact that the Assam chief minister held important portfolios in the earlier Congress government, the entire Congress leadership joined the BJP in 2018 in order to defeat the Left Front in Tripura, and many ministers in the Union government and Members of Parliament belonging to the BJP were earlier prominent leaders in the Congress.
"The Congress has become a feeder organization for the BJP," it alleged.
The CPI (M) said that during the 10 years of the current LDF government, there has not been a single communal riot in Kerala, while the worst communal riot in Marad, in the state, took place under the UDF government.
"Even in these elections, the Congress is aligning with minority fundamentalist forces. The Congress-League-BJP nexus has been exposed in various elections in Kerala, including the recently concluded local body elections," it said.
The CPI(M), which is leading the LDF, said it has consistently opposed the misuse of central agencies against opposition leaders, while Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, is calling for the arrest of an opposition chief minister by invoking the ED and other central agencies.
"It should not be forgotten that the Congress had similarly called for the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, former chief minister of Delhi. This exposes their opportunistic stance," the Left party said.
It added that the people of Kerala, who have witnessed unprecedented development and communal harmony over the past 10 years under LDF rule, will deliver a fitting rebuff to both the Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA.
The Politburo statement came a day after Gandhi, while participating in a UDF election event online, sharply criticized the LDF government, and said neither the LDF nor the BJP believe they are answerable to the people, and both have the same policies and political agenda.
Kharge alleged there was a "secret alliance" between the CPI(M) and the BJP in Kerala - the Communist-Janta Party (CJP) - and the LDF claims to be secular but protects the BJP's agenda.
In an interview to