After the CPI(M) in Kerala unleashed a fresh campaign accusing the Congress of sidelining leaders from minority communities, a Congress leader in the state has hit back by alleging that the move was part of a hidden agenda to make Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's son-in-law Mohamed Riyas the chief minister.
Riyas, who is a first-time MLA, was made a minister in the current cabinet of Vijayan and was given key portfolios of tourism and public works. The decision had raised many eyebrows.
The CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan recently came out with a fresh allegation of Congress sidelining leaders from minority communities. He also referred to Rahul Gandhi's recent statement that India is a country of Hindus, not Hindutvavadis, and cited Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Salman Khurshid and K V Thomas as alleged instances of leaders from minority communities being sidelined.
Congress leaders in Kerala were trying to defend by accusing Balakrishnan of trying to create a communal divide for political gains.
On Wednesday, Congress senior leader and Lok Sabha MP K Muraleedhran accused the CPI(M) state secretary of acting on the behest of Pinarayi Vijayan to implement the hidden agenda of making the latter's son-in-law Riyas the next CM.
Muraleedharan said that it was the CPI(M) that was sidelining leaders of minority communities.
He said Vijayan and Kodiyeri wanted to trigger a discussion on this line and hence Balakrishnan was now making the baseless allegation against Congress. The hidden agenda was to project Riyas as CM in case Vijayan had to step down as his government was facing serious allegations and since he is going through medical treatment.
He also accused Kodiyeri of acting as per the desires of Vijayan, as Amit Shah acts as per Narendra Modi's interests. It was for implementing Vijayan's hidden agenda that Kodieyri, who was initially kept off from the CPI(M) state secretary post following the ED arresting his son, was reinstated to the post recently. If Balakrishnan, who is also a CPI(M) politburo member, was doubtful of Congress' secular stature, he should show the guts to state that the CPI(M) would not align with the party anywhere in the country.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress said that the CPI(M) leader was making sub-standard statement and even likened him with 'Pashanam Varkey', a popular beggar character in a drama who used to carry pictures of Hindu gods and Christian saints on either side of a card to exploit religious sentiments while begging.
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