Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh for invoking the National Security Act against three men for cow slaughter, saying not even the previous BJP government took such a harsh step.
“It is not only wrong but an anti-secular move. The Congress claims to be secular but then follows the Sangh Parivar line. Even the earlier BJP government in M.P. did not use such a stringent section for cow slaughter,” Mr. Vijayan told The Hindu. He accused the Congress of “competing with the BJP on the cow”.
“Even in Kerala, the Congress toed the RSS line on Sabarimala. This is its biggest failure,” he added.
The Chief Minister was in Delhi to attend the CPI(M) Polit Bureau meeting on electoral strategy for the upcoming general election.
Mr. Vijayan denied any rift between the party’s Kerala and West Bengal units over an understanding with the Congress in West Bengal, calling it a “media-created misunderstanding”. “We debate and deliberate everything openly. Our main target is to defeat the BJP. We will stand against the BJP where we can and in other seats we will support the political party that is in a position to defeat it. The only condition is that they should be secular.”
The Kerala CM said the CPI(M)’s February 3 rally in Kolkata was an indicator of winds of change in West Bengal. The question of an alliance with the Congress is secondary when one looks at the bigger picture, he said. “In today’s India, if the BJP government returns for another five years then we face a total annihilation of our democratic and secular values and our institutions. In fact, India as we know shall cease to exist,” Mr. Vijayan said.
He urged the Congress to support regional alliances if it was serious about ousting the BJP.
“For example in U.P., the joining of two regional forces today threatens the BJP. The Congress should support such an alliance and ensure that it is not weakened by a split in votes,” he said.