Kanam accuses Congress of double standards

For that party, Enforcement Directorate is bad in Delhi, but good in Kerala, says CPI Kerala secretary

Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Kanam Rajendran has accused the Congress of adopting double standards towards the Union government’s move to ‘destabilise non-BJP governments in States using Central agencies.’

Opening the delegates’ meet in connection with the CPI district conference at Nedumangad here on Saturday, he said the Congress had raised the issue in the Assembly when Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were grilled by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case. “But when Central agencies like the ED, CBI, NIA and Customs are used to destabilise the LDF government in Kerala, they remain mum. For them, the ED is bad in Delhi but good in Kerala. This exposes their double standards”. He added that the Congress and BJP were working as one against the LDF government.

Stressing the compulsions of coalition politics, Mr. Rajendran said the CPI had always tried to strengthen the LDF alliance and keep it moored to the Left ideology and policies. “But in a coalition, all parties will have to share the gains and losses. The CPI has never resorted to the cheap politics of washing its hands of lapses of the government while staking a claim to the achievements”.

He said that despite their differences, the CPI and CPI(M) had found common ground on national issues though they had failed to bring democratic, secular forces on a common platform to fight the divisive politics of the BJP and the RSS. Mr. Rajendran underlined the need to strengthen secular values as an alternative to the communal agenda that had propelled the BJP-led government back to power at the Centre in the 2019 elections. "Majority fundamentalism cannot be fought with opposing communal forces. It needs a strong secular response".

Slamming the Centre's eco nomic policies, he said they had led to economic disparities and social unrest, making life miserable for the common man. Mr. Rajendran also stressed the need for the CPI to broadbase its activities in Kerala and identify itself with the marginalised sections of society.