CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby wrote to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge seeking clarity on allegations made by Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, that CPI(M) struck a deal with the BJP during the Keralam Assembly elections.
CPI(M) Seeks Clarity on 'Deal with BJP' Allegations
CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby has written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge ahead of the June 8 meeting of the India bloc parties, seeking clarification over allegations made by Congress leaders during the Keralam Assembly elections against the party and its leadership. In a letter, Baby said he had been informed by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal about the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for June 8 and raised concerns over what he described as a "systematic campaign" by the Congress leadership in Keralam that alleged that the CPI(M) and the BJP had struck a deal. He stated that Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and Kharge himself, had repeatedly alleged during the election campaign that senior CPI(M) leader and then Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had reached an understanding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I have been informed by KC Venugopal about the meeting of the INDIA bloc parties to be held on the June 8, 2026. In this connection I would like to cite a recent political development during the assembly elections. There was a systematic campaign by the Congress leadership during the Keralam Assembly elections, that the CPI(M) and the BJP have struck a deal," MA Baby said. "Further, it was alleged that the CPI(M)'s senior leader, Member of the Polit Bureau and then Chief Minister, Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan, had also struck a deal with Modi. The question was posed 'Otherwise, why is it that he has not been interrogated or arrested by the Enforcement Directorate'?These were not stray remarks made in the heat of an election campaign, but was the centerpiece of your political campaign. Every national leader, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and yourself, made such allegations repeatedly," he added.
Allegations 'Strike at the Basis' of INDIA Bloc Unity
The CPI(M) leader said INDIA bloc was created as a broad platform to politically fight the BJP and that parties with differing ideologies had come together for that purpose. He said the CPI(M) had worked sincerely from the June 2023 Patna meeting to strengthen the opposition platform. "The INDIA bloc was constituted as a broad platform to politically fight the BJP. Parties of diverse ideologies and programs who otherwise are electoral rivals in many states came together only for this sole purpose. Right from the June 2023 Patna meeting that launched the INDIA bloc, the CPI(M) has worked sincerely to see such a united platform emerge. Strangely, now, the CPI(M) is accused of having a deal with the BJP. This is a canard which we cannot take lightly," MA Baby said. "This strikes at the very basis of the unity forged against the BJP. You should know that hundreds of our cadres were martyred in Keralam in the fight against the RSS-BJP. We would also like to bring to your notice that during the last ten years of LDF rule in Keralam, there were no communal riots of any sort, unlike in many other states, which vouches for our commitment towards secularism and safeguarding communal harmony," he added.
Rahul Gandhi's Call for ED Action Questioned
Baby also questioned Rahul Gandhi's calls for Enforcement Directorate action against CPI(M) Pinarayi Vijayan when he was Chief Minister and asked whether such remarks could be considered an anti-BJP stance or an invitation to the Modi government to take punitive action against a fellow opposition leader. "The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi, has repeatedly called for ED action against the then Keralam Chief Minister. Can this be termed as an anti-BJP stance or is it a case of inviting the Modi government to take illegal punitive action against a fellow opposition leader?" he asked. "Unless these matters are clarified, the very purpose of the INDIA bloc would be in question. As the President of the Indian National Congress, it is up to you and the Congress leadership to clear the air regarding such disruptive moves," he noted.
CPI(M) Commits to United Fight in Parliament
Baby said the CPI(M) will fully cooperate in Parliament with the INDIA bloc and other opposition parties to put up a united fight. "We felt the need to raise this matter in the context of the meeting called on June 8, 2026. However, the CPI(M) will fully cooperate in Parliament with the INDIA bloc and other opposition parties to put up a united fight against the authoritarian, communal, and anti-people policies of the Modi government. The CPI(M) will never be found wanting in this task despite all the attacks and distortions," he said. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)