Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday sought to know from Congress what message the party wants to send across the country by fielding Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.
Reacting to reports on Congress move, the chief minister said the main political force in Kerala is LDF. Rahul is not coming to the state to fight the BJP but the Left parties. Is this stand in consonance with the current national political environment? This is for the Congress to introspect.
The chief minister said the electoral battle would go its way. Just because Rahul Gandhi is coming here and contesting would not make any difference.
But what message are you trying to give to the people of the country. “The biggest leader of the Congress coming to Kerala and taking on the Left. It’s not the BJP but the Left which has to be destroyed, this is the message that this contest will give to the country. Is this right? Let them introspect,” he said.
The chief minister said that as far as the electoral battle was considered, the candidate was immaterial. “We will put up a strong fight,” he said.
Pinarayi said the SP and BSP had left Rai Bareli and Amethi for the Congress without any electoral understanding. This showed the magnanimity and importance of the SP and BSP.
Meanwhile, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran rejected the demand made by UDF to withdraw LDF candidate P. P. Suneer from the contest. CPM state secretary Kodyeri Balakrishnan said the move to bring Rahul Gandhi was a major set back for former chief minister Oommen Chandy.
