The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Priyanka wades into Rahul-pinarayi war of words: ‘Your CM is compromised’
CONGRESS LEADER Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Saturday waded into the bitter war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Rahul Gandhi over the Centre’s alleged inaction on scandals in the state.
“When you are like a compromised player, we cannot win the match. Your CM is compromised. He attacks only my brother and the Congress. He never attacks the BJP. His name had emerged in several scams... But how come the Modi government never puts a case against him, never raids him and no action is taken on him? One man (Rahul) walks from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to beg this country to unite. This man raises voice, he stands for democracy, he fights for justice. But the Kerala CM only attacks him,” Priyanka said in Pathanamthitta.
While the CPI(M) and Congress are both part of the INDIA bloc, the two parties are engaged in a heated contest in Kerala. Both Pinarayi and Rahul have minced no words while attacking the other.
On Thursday, speaking in the state, Rahul had said, “Two CMS (Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren) are in jail. How come this is not happening to Kerala CM? I amattackingthebjp24x7,andthe Kerala CM is attacking me 24x7. This is a bit puzzling.”
The Congress has alleged Vijayan was not criticising PM Narendra Modi because of central agencies’ investigation into an alleged scam at his daughter Veena’s IT firm, and a fund scam at a co-operative bank in Thrissur.
On Friday, at a poll event in Kozhikode, Vijayan hit back, “Rahul is worried why the Kerala
CM is not being questioned and why he is not being taken into custody... It was your grandmother (Indira Gandhi) who had jailed us for one-and-a-half years (during the Emergency) when she suppressed the entire country.”
The tussle between the two parties first began when Vijayan asked why the Congress manifesto, and Rahul, are silent on scrapping the CAA – a major poll plank for the CPI(M).
On Saturday, Vijayan continued his attack, saying: “Congress is the only party that has not taken a stand on CAA. Rahul should make the reason behind it clear. Congress is implementing the Sangh Parivar agenda. He should say whether Congress has a Sangh Parivar attitude or a secular attitude.”