"Baseless and Absurd": Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan rejects 'CPM-BJP deal' ahead of assembly polls

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 24 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday strongly dismissed allegations made by Congress leader KC Venugopal regarding an alleged understanding between the CPM and the BJP, terming them "baseless and absurd."
Addressing a press conference, Vijayan said,"These are baseless and absurd allegations. In 1971, when A. K. Gopalan contested from Palakkad, the Congress candidate was an RSS-backed leader. The Indian National Congress has a long history of aligning with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh without any hesitation. Such alliances have been repeated multiple times, eventually leading to what is known as the 'coalition of convenience.' Was it not the Congress that helped the Bharatiya Janata Party open its account in Nemom? The leakage of Congress votes was evident. The same pattern was visible during the Thrissur parliamentary elections as well."

He added, "The BJP's primary political opponent has always been the Left. At various points, it is the Congress that has entered into opportunistic understandings. The BJP knows that it can easily deal with the Congress, and in many cases, it prefers a Congress victory. These allegations of a 'deal' are nothing but a preemptive defence by the Congress to cover up its own history of such arrangements. Those who are making these accusations are the ones who have long been accustomed to such political deals."
CM Vijayan's remarks came after the Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal alleged a "clear and unholy nexus" between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the CPI(M) in Kerala, claiming that both parties have entered into a tacit understanding in several constituencies.
Speaking to the reporters, Venugopal said the allegation is "not baseless" and can be observed by closely examining the candidate lists of the two parties.
"There are clear allegations of an unholy nexus between the BJP and the CPI(M) in Kerala. This is not a baseless claim; if you closely examine the candidate lists of both parties, you can clearly see an underlying understanding and mutual support in several constituencies. The Chief Minister has, for quite some time now, been a compromised leader. He does not speak up against Narendra Modi and appears to be functioning under pressure, including fear of central agencies like the ED," he said.
The Congress leader also claimed that the CPI(M), fearing a loss of political ground in Kerala, has entered into what he termed an "unethical political arrangement" with the BJP.
"As a result, he is not taking a firm stand against the Centre on critical issues. Now, sensing that Kerala may slip out of their hands, the CPI(M) leadership has entered into an unethical political arrangement. There are multiple instances where CPI(M)'s actions seem to be aimed at creating opportunities for the BJP to gain advantage, even in constituencies where the BJP is traditionally strong. It is clear that both the CPM and the BJP have, in effect, misled and betrayed their own party workers, "Venugopal added.
The developments come as Kerala prepares for its 140-member Legislative Assembly elections, which will be held in a single phase on April 9, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4.
The main electoral contest in the State is expected between the Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Indian National Congress. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, is also in the fray for the Assembly polls. (ANI)