Rahul Gandhi doesn’t even have a local leader’s maturity, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

KOCHI: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan unleashed a scathing attack on Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in a news conference at Kothamangalam on Thursday. He said Congress and Rahul have become BJP's B-team and Rahul played a key role in the BJP securing power in several states.

Vijayan alleged that Congress played a major role in initiating the case against AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and when the court acquitted him, it was a blow not only to BJP but to Congress as well. He claimed Congress helped BJP win in Delhi, Haryana and Bihar and said Rahul doesn't have the political maturity of even a local leader.

Vijayan criticised Rahul for making accusations against CPM and LDF, describing him as a leader who fails to learn despite repeated experiences. "Rahul is a national leader but he doesn't have the understanding and knowledge of even an ordinary party worker. ‘Kandalum kondalum padikkilla' (Won't learn from seeing and experiencing). We can't in any way understand how a person whom all the Congressmen consider as an honourable leader can degenerate in such a way," Vijayan added.

He said when the BJP was targeting opposition leaders with legal cases, when a cabinet colleague of Kejriwal was arrested, Congress and Rahul demanded that Kejriwal also be arrested, which led to him being jailed. The acquittal of Kejriwal was a setback for Congress too, yet Gandhi learned nothing from it.

Even when the Congress had no chance of winning the Delhi elections, Rahul refused to align with the common stance of non-BJP parties, which benefited the BJP and helped them gain power, the CM said. In Haryana, where even the BJP did not expect to win, Rahul's actions broke the opposition unity, leading to BJP victory, he said. The divisive atmosphere created by Rahul during elections, including in Bihar, benefited BJP, and he failed to learn from it, Vijayan added.

Vijayan also said that even when the Congress was a powerful force nationally, they formed electoral alliances with the BJP in Kerala, which is part of their long-standing tradition. He cited historical instances, such as alliances against EMS in Pattambi and AKG in Palakkad, and more recent collaborations in Vadakara and Beypore. There was a situation when an RSS leader told the Congress leadership that because of the saffron party's support in 41 seats, the Congressman is holding chief minister's position in Kerala. Vijayan said that recent alliances between Congress and BJP were evident in Thrissur and Nemom, as well as local elections.

The CM said the Election Commission's directive to police to take action against alleged misleading news on social media about its letter carrying the seal of the BJP, shows EC's "intolerance towards criticism".

He said that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) would be asked to intervene in the matter. He said the seal of the BJP's Kerala unit appearing on an EC document was "unbelievable" and could not be seen as a lapse by a single official.

He demanded that the details of the investigation and its findings should be made public. "Not allowing criticism is not right in a democratic system," Vijayan said, adding that police were no longer under his control and the action was taken on the EC directive.