The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Kerala): In Kerala, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put forth a challenge to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, urging him to disclose his perspective on the support extended to the United Democratic Front (UDF) by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), identified as the political wing of the proscribed Popular Front of India (PFI). This development unfolded a day after the SDPI’s state leadership declared its backing for the Congress-led UDF in the impending Lok Sabha elections, sparking controversy and debate within political circles.
K Surendran, the BJP’s state president and candidate opposing Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, criticized the SDPI, suggesting it harbors divisive and destructive agendas against the nation. Surendran accused the SDPI and the PFI of advocating violence against Hindus and Christians, in addition to targeting religious sites and BJP figures.
Highlighting the SDPI’s broad endorsement of the Congress across all 20 constituencies in Kerala, Surendran questioned the Congress’s openness to such support, considering the PFI’s controversial ban. He emphasized the necessity for Rahul Gandhi to explicitly articulate his stance, especially given Gandhi’s frequent advocacies for secularism.
The Congress, on its part, has abstained from directly addressing whether it would embrace or dismiss the SDPI’s support. AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal remarked that the Congress had not solicited assistance from the SDPI, stressing that electoral support is a matter of individual preference, yet confirming the party’s commitment to its foundational ideologies.
The CPI(M), Kerala’s ruling party, also entered the fray, criticizing the Congress and the UDF for the SDPI’s support proposition. CPI(M) State Secretary M V Govindan accused the Congress of forming an opportunistic alliance, predicting a stern electoral rebuke for this collaboration, especially in Vatakara, Kozhikode district.
Despite these political skirmishes, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, clarified that the UDF had not engaged in any discussions or agreements with the SDPI. Meanwhile, SDPI state President Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulavi underscored the party’s decision to support the UDF as a stand against the BJP’s national policies, which they perceive as undermining India’s constitutional and cultural diversity.
This political conundrum unfolds as Kerala gears up for the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 26, with the nation eagerly awaiting the results on June 4.
