CPI-M chief’s defence of Rahul revives old Malayali jibe

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 20 (IANS) Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary M.A. Baby’s defence of Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visit has given fresh ammunition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to revive its familiar charge against the Congress and the CPI-M, fierce political rivals in Kerala, but allies at the national level.

Baby on Tuesday dismissed the BJP’s campaign against Rahul Gandhi’s overseas travel as an attempt to create confusion.

He countered the criticism by pointing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign trips, saying PM Modi had travelled abroad more often than he had visited Indian states.

He also accused the Prime Minister of travelling overseas even when Manipur was burning.

More significantly, Baby cautioned against statements that could create problems for the united protests being organised by the INDIA bloc.

He said the alliance was jointly leading the protests and that each party had the right to decide how it wanted to conduct its agitation.

While the CPI-M General Secretary’s remarks were aimed at defending the Opposition alliance against the BJP, they also brought back an old political slogan that has repeatedly dogged both parties in Kerala.

Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, during his years as a BJP leader, frequently used the phrase ‘Gusthi in Kerala, Dhosthi in Delhi’ to highlight the apparent contradiction between the Congress and the CPI-M.

The Malayalam expression, which means wrestling in Kerala and friendship in Delhi, became a familiar BJP attack line.

The argument is rooted in the political realities of Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF and the CPI-M-led LDF are the principal rivals competing for power.

Their leaders routinely attack each other during Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, even as both parties remain part of the INDIA bloc at the national level to oppose the BJP.

The BJP has often used visits by its national leaders, including PM Modi, to Kerala during election campaigns to underline this contradiction and question the credibility of the Congress and the Left.

Baby’s latest remarks do not indicate any change in the CPI-M’s position in Kerala.

However, his emphasis on protecting the unity of the national opposition alliance offers the BJP another opportunity to say that national political compulsions often take precedence over the bitter rivalry between the Congress and the Left in the state.

For the two parties, the challenge remains how to sustain national cooperation without allowing their opponents to turn it into a political liability in Kerala.

And now in Kerala with the BJP gaining ground, especially with one Lok Sabha and three Assembly seats, Naidu’s narrative has gained momentum with State BJP President and legislator Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday targeting the two traditional rivals in Kerala of this “underhand dealings” meant to help one another.

–IANS

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