Kamal Ghorui
Rahul Gandhi at the Kerala rally
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday targeted the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala and the BJP, alleging that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was aligned with people who attack minorities in other parts of the country.“Everyone can see there is a relationship today between the BJP, RSS and the Left Front. There are leaders in the left front who are not opportunists, who have spent many years working for the ideology, and who are feeling let down, hurt, betrayed,” he alleged at a rally in Kerala.
Rahul said the Congress-led UDF had earlier fought the LDF as an ideological opponent, but claimed that the front had now changed. “What does LDF stand for—Left Democratic Front. Now, frankly, there is nothing Left in the LDF. After the election, there will be nothing left in it,” he added.He further alleged that a “hidden hand” was guiding the LDF. “That hidden hand is communal, does not accept the Constitution of India, divides people and spreads hatred. Everyone in Kerala can see the connection between BJP, RSS and CPI,” he remarked.He also criticised PM Modi, saying he spoke about religion and temples in other states but remained silent on Kerala’s issues, apparently referring to the Sabarimala gold case. “I fight BJP and RSS; they attack me, cases are filed, I am interrogated, but I do not back down. Modi attacks me daily. But why does he not attack the Kerala chief minister and his family,” he asked.“But when he comes to Kerala, he forgets all that because he wants to help the LDF. The truth is he knows the LDF will never challenge him nationally,” Rahul added.“We are doing this because we understand that women are the backbone of Kerala. We want you to pursue your dreams, travel wherever you want and achieve whatever you want,” he said.Rahul also raised concerns about attacks on minorities in different parts of the country. “Two nuns from here were attacked in Chhattisgarh. In Manipur, churches were burnt. The chief minister has a partnership with the people who are doing this. The very people who are attacking minorities- Muslims, Christians and Sikhs have a partnership with the chief minister,” he alleged.
