Congress leaders wavering: Kerala CM

Alappuzha: “The Congress leaders are joining the BJP like they change clothes owing to the party’s lack of a strong policy on communalism,” according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

“The Congress leaders don’t think that they have to be different from the BJP on communal politics. This has led to its state leaders and former ministers joining the BJP,” said Mr Vijayan addressing an election rally at Edathua for Chittayam Gopa-kumar, LDF candidate in Mavelikata constituency, on Saturday.

Though the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the Goa election, the BJP formed the government with the support of Congress legislators, he said.

In Tripura, the state Congress president and MLAs switched over to the BJP side. Eight MLAs in Gujarat got BJP membership recently. In Kerala, the Congress had to declare that one of its candidates would not leave the party, he said.

Accusing the UPA-II government of formulating anti-farmer policies, Mr Vijayan said the BJP which came to power by promising better Minimum Supp-ort Price (MSP) was giving the farmers bullets instead of MSP.

“The Congress, which practises dual standard on communal politics, can’t be expected to bring in equal justice. When Babri Masjid was brought down, the Congress or its PM did not say a word. Has the Congress ever condemned murders in the name of cows? The MP Chief Minister is now taking the credit for banning cow slaughter,” he said.

Mr Viijayan alleged that the Congress did not respond when the Modi government made triple talaq a criminal offence. “BJP president Amit Shah says the examination of citizenship (Nati-onal Register of Citiz-ens) will be extended across the country. As of now citizenship is offered to those who belong to the religion that the RSS approves. The Congress does not want to question the RSS policy that the rest of the people should leave the country,” he pointed out.

He added that the Congress and the BJP were equally responsible for the present situation in Kashmir.