Congress targets Kerala CM Vijayan, CPI(M) over Kumaraswamy joining Modi govt

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 15 (PTI) Congress on Saturday targeted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy’s ministership in BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and sought to know under what circumstances that the state chapter of the party is continued to be a part of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala.

Kumaraswamy recently took oath as Union Heavy Industries and Steel Minister.

The Congress alleged that the JD(S) had joined the NDA last September but CM Vijayan and the ruling CPI(M) have been remaining silent on the matter since then.

In a hard-hitting statement, opposition leader V D Satheesan attacked Vijayan and said only he could show double standards by allowing the state unit of the JD(S) to continue in the Left front.

He alleged that Kumaraswamy became the union minister with the “silent permission” of the Marxist party.

Accusing the CPI(M) of giving “political protection” to the JD(S), he said both the Marxist party and CM Vijayan cannot do anything against the NDA ally when the cases being investigated by the Central agencies against them are hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles.

A coalition of the LDF-NDA is ruling Kerala, he reiterated.

Satheesan also wanted the CM and the state and national leaderships of the CPI(M) to make it clear on what circumstances that the JDS has continued to be a part of the LDF.

The Kerala unit of the Janata Dal (Secular), an ally of the ruling Left in the state, had last year itself rejected the national leadership’s decision to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) saying it was contrary to the political resolution adopted by the party’s national plenum.