- Left prioritises Opposition policy and strategy over leadership disputes within INDIA alliance: John Brittas
- Congress leadership has been ungracious in accommodating coalition partners, says CPM's John Brittas
- Brittas criticises Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
The Left is not concerned about who leads the INDIA Opposition bloc, but the Congress has not been graceful enough to accommodate its coalition partners, CPM's Rajya Sabha John Brittas said at the NDTV Keralam Power Play today.
Brittas, who was in conversation with NDTV's Managing Editor Shiv Aroor and Editor, Politics, Vasudha Venugopal, was asked about the leadership tussle within the INDIA alliance and the many names like Trinamool Congress's Mamata Banerjee and DMK's MK Stalin doing the rounds.
"We are not obsessed with A leader or B leader or C leader. We are more concerned about the policy of the Opposition, like what should be the political strategy and the stand it should take. We are also concerned about the lack of coherence in the INDIA alliance. We also feel that the Congress leadership has not been graceful enough to accommodate other coalition partners," he said.
Flagging the "behaviour" of Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, when he comes to Kerala, the Left MP said, "The Congress has never shown gratitude to Left parties. Our 62 MPs wholeheartedly extended support to form a UPA government headed by the Congress just to keep the BJP away. And we did not even take a gas connection. They should be graceful at the highest leadership when they deal with coalition partners."
Hitting back at Gandhi's remark that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should be arrested in the Sabarimala case, the CPM MP said, "We are amused by the fact that Rahul Gandhi, who is also embroiled in numerous ED cases, is coming to Kerala and asking why our Chief Minister is not arrested."
In a cheeky remark directed at Gandhi and his sister Priyanka, who succeeded him as Wayanad MP, Brittas said, "Kerala has been gracious to guestworkers, whether in politics or in other work. What does Priyanka have to do with Kerala politics? Only because she is part of the dynasty, she has come. Can you imagine any other leader contesting from Wayanad if they were not part of the family?"
"And how come Rahul Gandhi came here? He came on the pretext of fighting the BJP. Is Kerala the terrain where he has to take on the BJP? BJP is not a significant player, so it was a fake narrative. And after he left Wayanad, he brought in his sister," he said.
Brittas said the Left's slogan for the upcoming Kerala election means, "who else other than LDF". "We have led Kerala on the path of development, progress and welfare." Asked about the Left's poor showing in the Lok Sabha election, he replied, "Kerala people are educated and aware of the nuances of politics. In the 2019 (general election), we had a drubbing, but in state polls, we won 100 out of 140 seats."
He was also asked if a third consecutive win for the LDF is too much to ask for in a state known to vote out the incumbent every election. "If it is not a big thing in other states, why in Kerala? People don't want to go back to the dark tunnel of UDF infighting and pressure politics," he said, describing the internal tussle within the Congress as a "theatre of the absurd".
Asked about the Congress's rhetoric of a pact between the CPM and the Sangh, he said, "This is a fake narrative created by the Congress, but everyone knows who compromises with the BJP's politics. How many leaders has Rahul Gandhi contributed to the BJP? Most of his lieutenants have left the Congress and enriched (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (Home Minister) Amit Shah's team. Even the vascillations in Congress politics, everybody knows that. Left has been steadfast in its fight against the BJP, ideologically and politically.
"Have you heard any of the UDF MPs speaking against BJP and RSS? No, if they open their mouth, it would be against Left parties," he said.
The CPM MP said that the Pinarayi Vijayan government has no problem in cooperating with the Union government for development. "Politically, Pinarayi has been steadfast in attacking the BJP and RSS. Think of Shashi Tharoor's numerous statements, and he is a CWC member. He is made to make such statements. Otherwise, how can he make statements that are helpful to Narendra Modi?" Drawing a parallel, he said, "Last month, there was a tirade against Mani Shankar Aiyar when he spoke about development in Kerala."
Asked about the BJP's chances in Kerala, he said, "BJP is not a significant player in Kerala politics. Kerala has understood that the rhetoric of Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not match the ground realities.
