Left in Kerala continues to hit out against Rahul Gandhi

Thiruvananthapuram: For the second day in succession, senior Left leaders in Kerala on Thursday made an all-out attack against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against the state's Pinarayi Vijayan government.

The first to attack Gandhi on Thursday was CPI-M Politburo member and former state minister M.A. Baby who said if this is the way Gandhi is going to campaign in Kerala for the Congress-led United Democratic Front, it would be an easy victory for the Left in the Assembly elections.

"If nonsense is going to be said by Rahul and (Congress General Secretary) Priyanka (Gandhi) during the Assembly election campaign, it would be easy for the Left. We all saw (Rahul) Gandhi driving a tractor in Wayanad the other day... what he should have done was, using that time, he should have gone to Puducherry and try to save his party's government," he said.

The CPI-M state Secretariat had slammed Gandhi on Wednesday, saying he was speaking "like a recruiting agent of the BJP".

Gandhi slammed the CPI-M and linked the gold smuggling case to the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi and also said if one carries a CPI-M flag, then they will get jobs through the backdoor.

On Thursday, senior CPI Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam, who is currently leading an election campaign yatra of the Left, said that the Gandhi "show" in the Kollam seas on Wednesday, where he travelled on a fishing boat, jumping into the sea and his interaction with the fisherfolk was one which had no sum and substance and was one that lacked any serious concern for the fishing community.

"If he really had any real concern for the fishing community he would have visited the house of the fishermen (at Kollam) who while fishing in the high seas, was shot dead by two Italian naval officers. It was the then Congress government in the Centre which saved them because they were Italians," he alleged.

The Congress, however, made light of the Left's attack/AICC General Secretary and Rajya Sabha member K.C.Venugopal on Thursday told the media here that the CPI-M in Kerala is feeling jittery of Gandhi and the way he has entered into the hearts of people of Kerala.

"Like the BJP, the CPI-M in Kerala is losing its sleep, the way Gandhi is moving forward. None will agree to the statement that Gandhi is an agent of the BJP and he does not require a certificate from the CPI-M. It would be good for the CPI-M not to forget that in Tamil Nadu, their candidates used the picture of Gandhi and won the Lok Sabha polls there," he said.