Congress leader P. Chidambaram, MP, has said the Congress should not lose sight of the fact that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] is its prime political opponent in Kerala politics.
The party has an election to fight in 2021 (local body polls) and the BJP is not at all a player in Kerala politics. That leaves the Congress to oppose the CPI(M). It is okay for the Congress to come together with the CPI(M) on national issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). But in Kerala, the Congress and the CPI(M) remain traditional opponents, and that is a political reality, he said here on Saturday.
Mr. Chidambaram’s comment came against the backdrop of reports that the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee is divided over the decision of Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala to align with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the CAA. KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran had opposed the action, while leaders such as V.D. Satheeshan had defended Mr. Chennithala.
He said that in Kerala, Muslims, Christians and Hindus shared the same culture. They wore the same dress, ate the same food, and enjoyed the same music and art. Similarly, people in other States, including Tamil Nadu, shared a common culture irrespective of their faith. The BJP had now attempted to tear apart the people based on religion. They wanted to divide and rule.
