CPI(M) has key role in struggle against BJP: A.K. Antony
eteran Congress leader A.K. Antony has said that while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] in Kerala and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan treated the Congress as ‘untouchable’, the Congress believes that the Left, particularly the CPI(M), has an important role to play in the national struggle against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“We are not anti-Left,” he said.
In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Antony said the Congress, as the uno§cial lead party of the INDIA bloc, accommodated the Left parties, including the CPI(M), across many States considering this. “Except in Kerala, the State units of the CPI(M) cooperate with the Congress. The Kerala unit of the CPI(M) is on one side, while the CPI(M) in all other States is cooperating with the Congress. Under these circumstances, the speeches of Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M)’s Kerala unit against Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have become irrelevant,” Mr. Antony said.
Mr. Gandhi chose to compromise on the number of seats to be contested by the Congress, which encouraged many regional parties to join hands with it. “People see Rahul Gandhi as the tallest national leader who has fearlessly spoken against the BJP despite being persecuted for it.”
VAsked about Mr. Gandhi’s outburst against Mr. Vijayan asking why the Enforcement Directorate was not acting against the latter regardless of the fact that the CPI(M) and Mr. Vijayan had shown solidarity with Mr. Gandhi when he was probed by the ED, Mr. Antony said Mr. Gandhi was provoked to ask the question.
“Had he not shown restraint until this point? But when he leads a huge ght against the BJP, he is the arch-rival for Mr. Vijayan and the CPI(M). Mr. Vijayan says hardly anything against Mr. Modi. Does he show the same anti-Modi emphasis as M.K. Stalin does? I would say he doesn’t. Mr. Modi knows that the BJP is not going to get a seat from here (Kerala). But their aim is to reduce the Congress’ tally nationally. I wouldn’t say the CPI(M) has a pact with the BJP, but there is an undercurrent to reduce the number of seats won by the Congress,” Mr. Antony said.
He reckoned that the Congress would easily win 16 to 17 seats in Kerala which with some eªort could be taken to 20. The party, he hoped would do much better than last time in north India and in Maharashtra as well.
Asked about Mr. Gandhi contesting from
Uttar Pradesh, he said one should be patient as the polls had not reached the nomination stage in that State.
On his son Anil K. Antony’s entry to the
BJP and candidature for the National Democratic Alliance from Pathanamthitta,
Mr. Antony, who earlier publicly asked for his son’s defeat in the elections, said his son’s tryst with the BJP pained him for about a month.
(Full interview: https://bit.ly/4b7EZLV)