Rahul Gandhi picks holes in PM's 'Kerala dear to me' remark, accuses him of bias
Thiruvambady: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday sought to dismiss Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that Kerala was as dear to him as Varanasi, alleging that the PM was meting out step motherly treatment to non-BJP-ruled states and he did not expect any cooperation from him.
In his speech, thanking the voters of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency for electing him, Gandhi claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was blinded by "hatred and anger" and viewed those not following the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology as not Indians, while vowing to fight it.
He was addressing a gathering at Engapuzha near here, a tiny town in Kozhikode district and part of his Lok Sabha constituency, after a roadshow on the third and final day of his thanksgiving visit to Wayanad.
"The prime minister considers BJP-ruled states and non-BJP ruled states differently. I know, he will never consider Kerala the way he considers Uttar Pradesh because the CPI(M) is ruling here," he said, referring to Modi's speech at Guruvayur in Kerala on Saturday.
After offering prayers at the famous Krishna temple in Guruvayur, Modi had said the BJP was not working for mere electoral politics and that it was keen on building the country and ensuring that India got its place of pride in the international arena.
"Elections have their place in democracy and it is the responsibility of the winner to take care of the 130 crore people. Those who made us win or those who did not, both are our (people). Kerala is as dear to me as Varanasi," he had said, referring to his Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress chief, however, said he was not expecting any cooperation from the prime minister and the BJP-led central government for the development of Wayanad and Kerala.
Referring to his Saturday meeting with the CPI(M) MLA from Kalpeta, which falls under the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, Gandhi said there might be "ideological differences" (between the Congress and the Left), but those would be set aside and both parties would work together for the development of Wayanad.
But, such cooperation was not coming from the prime minister and the BJP, he charged.
"Because they are blinded by hatred and anger...because either you follow the ideology of the RSS or you are not an Indian.... We will fight that and I promise you that we will not be ruled by Nagpur (where the RSS is based)," Gandhi said.
As in the last two days, hundreds of party workers and locals, including women and children, greeted Gandhi during the roadshow at Engapuzha in the morning.
Several people in the crowd were seen wearing T-shirts with slogans such as "Rahul we need you" and "Rahul pada" (army). Before leaving for New Delhi in the afternoon, Gandhi would take out one more roadshow at Mukkam, near here.
This is the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president's first visit to Wayanad after his thumping poll victory with a margin of about 4.31 lakh votes. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) swept the parliamentary election in Kerala, winning 19 of its 20 seats.
Besides Wayanad, Gandhi had also contested the polls from his pocket borough of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. He lost the Amethi poll battle to Union minister Smriti Irani.
After arriving in Kerala on June 7, the Congress chief took out massive roadshows in various parts of his high-range constituency, which spreads over three districts -- Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode.
He accepted memorandums and complaints from people and spent time listening to the grievances of representatives of tribals and farmers at the Wayand district collectorate on Saturday.
During his roadshows, Gandhi lashed out at Modi and assured the people that he would raise the issues of not only Wayanad, but of entire Kerala in Parliament.
Reviving his attack on Modi after the polls, he alleged that the prime minister's election campaign was filled with "lies, poison and hatred", while his party stood for "truth, love and affection".
Gandhi's visit to Kerala came days after he offered to resign as the Congress president in view of the party's dismal showing in the second consecutive general election. But the offer was rejected by the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party.
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
