New Delhi [India], April 5 : BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Sunday accused Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of double standards, alleging they pretend to be friends in Delhi while opposing each other in Keralam and blamed both for the Sabarimala gold theft and promoting anti-national forces.
"Why is Pinarayi Vijayan, who found fault with Rahul Gandhi in Kerala, befriending him in Delhi, Bengal, and Tamil Nadu? Break your friendship in Delhi. Why are you forming an alliance? They are pretending to be friends in Delhi and wrestling in Kerala. Both are responsible for the Sabarimala gold theft; both promote anti-national forces," Poonawalla told ANI.
The comments come amid a growing political spat over recent remarks by Vijayan and Gandhi.
On Saturday, Vijayan hit back at Rahul Gandhi, accusing Congress of having no right to judge the Left's defence of secularism and minority rights. He alleged that Congress's policies historically paved the way for the political rise of the Sangh Parivar and criticised Gandhi for what he called a "pathetic display of political ignorance" over the attacks on nuns and nurses in Chhattisgarh.
Vijayan pointed out that CPI(M) leaders had intervened in Chhattisgarh when nuns were arrested, while Congress's response was inadequate. He challenged Rahul Gandhi, asking whether Congress would repeal anti-conversion laws in states like Himachal Pradesh, where the party is in power, accusing it of double standards.
Earlier, at a rally, Rahul Gandhi had accused the BJP and RSS of attacks on Kerala's nurses in Chhattisgarh and alleged that the BJP-RSS were responsible for communal incidents in Manipur, including church burnings, while highlighting what he called the Kerala Chief Minister's alignment with those who attacked nuns.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi accused the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front of having a "hidden partnership" with the BJP. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected the charge and called the Congress the "B-team" of the BJP.
The Keralam Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23.
The Left Democratic Front, which is led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) include other key parties, including Kerala Congress (M), Rashtriya Janata Dal and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). The UDF bloc consists of the Indian National Congress, Kerala Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League.
The National Democratic Alliance, led by Bharatiya Janata Party, also feature few relevant state parties, including the Twenty 20 Party, Bharath Dharma Jana Sena and Kerala Kamaraj Congress.
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