Thiruvananthapuram, March 26 (NationPress) Kerala's Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, delivered a pointed critique of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday. He claimed that the Congress party and its leader have historically acted as the "B-team of the BJP" while dismissing the allegations of a "Communist Janata Party"—a supposed alliance between CPI(M) and BJP in the state.

In response to Rahul Gandhi's accusation of an "unholy alliance" between the BJP and CPI(M) in Kerala, CM Vijayan asserted that it is actually the Congress that has consistently taken stances that have facilitated the BJP's growth in various states.

He criticized the Congress for undermining broader anti-BJP coalitions and for fracturing the unity of the Opposition at critical times.

“Even as a national leader, Rahul Gandhi fails to grasp the realities faced by local party workers,” CM Vijayan remarked, noting that he has not learned from his repeated political failures.

Vijayan pointed out that Gandhi’s political strategy often inadvertently aids the BJP across different states.

He referenced recent events in Delhi, where the BJP has targeted Opposition leaders through legal actions. LoP Rahul questioned why Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's Chief Minister, was not arrested when one of his Cabinet ministers was detained, yet later faced embarrassment when the courts cleared Kejriwal of charges, a situation that reflected poorly not just on the BJP but also on Rahul Gandhi.

In the Delhi elections, he noted that the Congress did not position itself strategically to prevent a BJP win, instead choosing to target the Aam Aadmi Party, which posed a stronger electoral threat.

A similar scenario unfolded in Haryana, where the Congress's refusal to support broader alliances led to a division of non-BJP votes, ultimately benefiting the BJP.

CM Vijayan’s comments came as a rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi's virtual speech at a Congress-led UDF rally in Kozhikode the previous night, where Gandhi had accused Vijayan of having a "soft" approach towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting he was receiving preferential treatment compared to other non-Congress Chief Ministers.

Rahul Gandhi further introduced the term "CJP (Communist Janata Party)" to imply a covert alignment between CPI(M) and BJP in Kerala. Rejecting this assertion, CM Vijayan maintained that such claims are politically driven, as the exchange of barbs between the Congress and the Left intensifies ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.