NEW DELHI: Congress leader K C Venugopal on Sunday hit out at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) over its criticism of Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing the Left party of suffering from a "political inferiority complex" and failing to introspect on its own electoral decline.
The sharp remarks from Congress general secretary Venugopal came a month after the Congress-led UDF defeated the LDF in Kerala and amid growing strains among INDIA bloc allies.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Venugopal described the CPM's attacks on Rahul as "utterly ridiculous", arguing that outside Kerala, the party has often depended on the Congress and its allies for political relevance.
The Congress leader also alleged that several leaders who had benefited electorally from Rahul Gandhi's image were now attempting to undermine him by branding him an "ED agent".
"There is no point in the CPM insulting Rahul Gandhi just because their own face is disfigured. The CPM's anti-Rahul remarks can only be seen as a blunder akin to smashing a mirror because one's face looks bad. It is a fundamental principle of democracy that the leader of the largest opposition party assumes the role of the Leader of the Opposition in the country. Unwilling to accept this fact, the CPM leadership, which is losing its very identity, has set out to question Rahul Gandhi's leadership skills," he said.
Venugopal said the CPM's criticism was rooted in its recent electoral setbacks, particularly in Kerala. Referring to the INDIA bloc, he noted that the opposition alliance was formed under the Congress' initiative to safeguard democracy and the Constitution from what he called the BJP's "dictatorial tendencies".
"Anyone with an understanding of politics can see that it is the miserable defeat in Keralam that is making the CPM say all this. Instead of objectively evaluating the reasons for their defeat, if they choose to scapegoat Rahul Gandhi, even greater defeats await the CPM. The INDIA bloc is a broad platform formed at the initiative of the Congress to protect the country's democracy and Constitution from the dictatorship of the BJP. The alliance was formed with the goal of ousting the BJP from power," he said.
Recalling the role of late former CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Venugopal said Yechury had understood the broader objectives of the INDIA bloc and accused the CPM of conveniently overlooking its own past political positions.
He further asserted that Rahul Gandhi has been leading the fight against the BJP's alleged misuse of investigative agencies to target political opponents.
Venugopal also accused the CPM of pursuing a narrow, state-centric political agenda rather than adopting a coherent national outlook.
"Rahul Gandhi is leading an uncompromising fight against the BJP, which uses investigative agencies to eliminate its political opponents. Personally, Rahul Gandhi himself is a victim of this. It is because of this narrow mindset that the Communist Party has collapsed to its current state in places like Bengal. Instead of leveling baseless allegations against Rahul Gandhi, CPM leaders should prepare themselves to introspect on this downfall of their party," Venugopal added.
His remarks came in response to CPM general secretary M A Baby, who had described Rahul Gandhi as a "facilitator for the ED and Modi government" and accused him of seeking the arrest of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
"Nobody is asking Rahul Gandhi to hug Pinarayi Vijayan. On the contrary all that we are asking is that he stop being a facilitator for the ED and the Modi government by demanding the arrest of Pinarayi Vijayan and other opposition leaders. That is not the job of the Leader of the Opposition," Baby said.
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