Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat on Tuesday came down on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for contesting Lok Sabha elections in Wayanad.
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Speaking after a road show of Annie Raja, Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate in the constituency, titled ‘Janasagaram’ here, Ms. Karat asked why Mr. Gandhi was contesting against the LDF, which ‘prevented the entry of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala into power.’
“If the Congress was trying to defeat the BJP at the Centre, should he contest against the Left Front?” Ms. Karat asked. The Congress was keeping mum on the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in its election manifesto, she said.
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If LDF candidates won elections, they would raise their voice against the enactment of CAA, Ms. Karat said, adding that the Kerala government was the first in the country to pass a proposal against it.
Local parties were fighting against the BJP in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, not the Congress party, she said.
Mr. Gandhi had been absent in the constituency for the past five years after the election, and this was the time for the voters to decide what they needed, a part-time MP or a full-time MP, she said.
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However, Ms. Raja would be a full-time MP, and she would be an embodiment of the Indian woman in Parliament, she added.
“Why did Mr. Gandhi avoided the flag of the Indian Union Muslim League during his road show?” Ms. Karat asked even as she waved the flag of the Indian National League, an alliance partner of the LDF.
Ms. Raja said she would always be with the voters to raise their voice in Parliament.
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Ms. Raja said the election was a fight to protect democracy and secularism.
LDF leaders including CPI State secretary Binoy Viswom, CPI(M) leader P.K. Sreemathi, and local leaders took part in the roadshow.
Thousands of LDF workers also attended the programme.