Hours after top Opposition leaders projected a picture of unity in Patna on June 23, cracks were visible as the Congress targeted CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan following the arrest of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President K. Sudhakaran by the crime branch of the State police in a cheating case.
While Mr. Sudhakaran was later released on bail, the move prompted AICC general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh to refer to Mr. Vijayan as “Mundu Modi” after the official handle of the Kerala Congress accused the Chief Minister of copying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “autocratic and undemocratic ways”.
“Rest of the Opposition is on one track nationally, while Pinarayi Vijayan is busy proving what has all along been known — he is Mundu Modi. This unwarranted harassment of Kerala PCC President K. Sudhakaran based on a trumped up case will only make our resolve stronger in Kerala,” tweeted Mr. Ramesh.
His tweet followed a tweet from the official handle of the Kerala Congress in which it asserted that the CPI(M) and Mr. Vijayan were not a “worthy ally”.
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‘Not a worthy ally’
“Pinarayi stands exposed by copying Modi’s autocratic and undemocratic tactics and single-window corruption; he and his party proved that they are not a worthy ally for anyone in the fight against the fascist rule in the country,” the Kerala Congress’ official handle said.
The fresh spat once again underscored the difficulties faced by the Opposition parties tying up in States where they are direct rivals instead of facing off with the BJP.
In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front is the main rival of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front. Similar friction is being witnessed in Punjab and Delhi where the Aam Aadmi Party’s rise has been at the cost of the Congress and in West Bengal too, the Trinamool Congress has already announced that it can’t be part of any alliance with the CPI(M).
