CPM playing 'spoilsport' in efforts to form secular front against BJP, says Kerala Congress chief

Thiruvananapuram: The Congress in Kerala on Saturday slammed the CPM for "playing spoilsport" in the effort to form a secular front to fight the BJP.

Representational image. Reuters

Speaking to IANS, state Congress president MM Hassan said it is very clear that a section of the CPM in Kerala appears adamant that there should be no such front to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"CPM party veteran VS Achuthanandan has written to the party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury that they should decide on working with the Congress, but Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is all supreme in the party now, does not want it. This is being done purposely to please the BJP, as his SNC Lavalin case has now come up in the Supreme Court. He (Vijayan) is also hoping that by taking this stand, he will get the Centre to help Kerala when it comes to assistance," said Hassan.

The CPM central committee meeting is currently underway in Kolkata, and the single point of discussion currently is should they engage in any tie up with the Congress. While Yechury wants it, his predecessor Prakash Karat and the Kerala unit of the party is dead against the idea.

"Just look at the discussions going on in their party meetings, where they are praising China and North Korea, which is ridiculous. All along the CPM has been critical of the economic policies of the Congress party here.

While the policies in China and North Korea are acceptable to them, they feel allergic to the policies of the Congress party. We really fail to understand the logic of the CPM. We feel that they have lost connect with reality," said Hassan, and added that there's a "B team" of the BJP in the CPM here.