Rahul comes down heavily on Pinarayi; uneasiness within INDIA front, battle between LDF and UDF heats up a week ahead of LS polls

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had been maintaining a soft approach towards the LDF during his election tour in Kerala, came down heavily on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday. However, this move has caused uneasiness within the INDIA front. With Lok Sabha elections in the state just over a week away, the latest development will add heat to the last round of campaigning.

On Thursday, while speaking in Kannur, Rahul Gandhi asked why the ED did not dare to interrogate Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with the scams in Kerala at a time when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren were put behind bars. Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier alleged that Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal were arrested as part of the political vendetta of the Modi government during election time, is now asking why a Chief Minister of the CPM, a constituent party in the INDIA front, was not jailed for corruption.

LDF questions the logic behind this. The other day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mocked Rahul Gandhi by referring to this. Especially when the Congress and Left parties join hands in many other states including Tamil Nadu, Bengal and Tripura.

The Congress leaders in Kerala have been constantly alleging that the ED was not taking action against Pinarayi due to the secret understanding between the CPM and the BJP. However, despite being criticised by the LDF, Rahul Gandhi has often described that the LDF was also his family. Political experts are interpreting that the pressure from state Congress leadership might have now prompted Rahul to criticise the LDF and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the meeting in Kannur where K Sudhakaran is contesting.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Left are asserting that Rahul took the decision to attack the LDF because he realized that the political landscape in Kerala has changed from 2019 and that he would not be able to repeat the smooth victory of 2019. At the same time, CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yachuri has tried to defuse the issue by saying that Rahul's remarks were personal.