Clarify if Cong has 'arrangement' with LDF: Muraleedharan slams Rahul Gandhi over 'double standards' in criticism over COVID handling

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi must clarify if Congress has an 'agreement' with the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, said Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan on Wednesday after Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan stated that during the time of the pandemic, the opposition should give unconditional support to governments.

While speaking to ANI, Muraleedharan asked why Rahul Gandhi's 'hand-picked' Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly was not ready to criticise the state government and the party had different policies at Centre and State.

"Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the Prime Minister and the Central government. His Twitter handle is full of slurs. On the other hand, he had handpicked the Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly Satheesan who says that during the time of the pandemic, the opposition should give unconditional support to governments," Muraleedharan said.

"The LoP is not ready to criticise the state government. Is criticism only for Modi, and not for policy and welfare of the people? Gandhi's single-point agenda is to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

The Congress Wayanad MP had earlier said that the Indian National Congress would back Kerala's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and would support the Left Democratic Front (LDF) during the crisis.

Muraleedharan further went on to allege that the Kerala government was underreporting the number of deaths that had taken place due to COVID-19 and asked why there was a 'double standard' while criticising.

"Information has come out that the Kerala government is fudging COVID-19 death data. A doctor in a medical college says it is 70, but the government says it is only 14," he alleged.

"Rahul Gandhi, who questions the Narendra Modi Government relentlessly must clarify whether he has an arrangement with Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala as they have with the CPIM in West Bengal. Why this double standard" he said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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