Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president (KPCC) Mullappally Ramachandran on Saturday said the Congress would not march in lock-step with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala in its fight against the new citizenship law.
His assertion came a day after the CPI(M) criticised him for ‘aiding’ the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by pointedly distancing himself from the anti-citizenship law campaign led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Attack on CM
It also slammed Mr. Mullappally for his ‘vitriolic attacks’ on Mr. Vijayan.
Mr. Ramachandran said any alliance with the CPI(M) would be a cruel betrayal of the cause of scores of Congress martyrs who had fallen to CPI(M) knives. “The souls of the two Congress men killed by CPI(M) goons in Periye in Kasargode would never forgive us if we join hands with the CPI(M),” he added.
Token gesture
He said Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala had shared the stage with the Chief Minister in an anti-CAA gathering to send a message to the Centre. It was a one-off token gesture.
Mr. Ramachandran refused to recant his assertion that Mr. Vijayan harboured deep Hindu extremist views. He said Mr. Vijayan’s ‘minority love’ was a public facade.
