Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday hit out at the Congress party stating that the differences between Congress and BJP were narrowing down in the country. CM Pinarayi also added that Congress is compromising its ideology. Addressing a press conference, Pinarayi Vijayan cited the donation given by senior Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and said it was a "dangerous move".
"The Congress should realise that such a move amounts to giving recognition to the position being taken by the RSS," Vijayan said.
He said this in response to a query on the controversy over a Congress MLA in Kerala recently making a donation for the construction of the Ram temple.
Congress MLA Eldhose Kunnappiily had made a contribution to the RSS workers last week, kicking up a row in the state. After a section of Muslim groups protested in front of his residents, the Perumbavoor MLA had apologised, stating he was 'misled' by Sangh Parivar workers and was not aware that the donation was for the temple.
Lashing out at the Congress, Vijayan said the MLA was following the footsteps of his party's important leaders like Digvijay Singh on the issue. "This is a very dangerous move", the Chief Minister said.
He said the Congress so far had not taken a firm stand on any of the issues being faced by the nation.
"They (the Congress) are compromising with such issues as they think that they will lose the votes of a section", he said, adding that the Congress would not be able to oppose the communal forces.
Vijayan said the CPI(M)-led alliance has a very strong presence in Kerala and the LDF would continue to very strongly oppose any form of communalism.
He cited the political developments in Puducherry, where Congress MLAs quit the party and their reported move to join the BJP and said "the differences between the Congress and BJP are narrowing down".
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday said that 'if elected to power in the upcoming Assembly polls, the Congress-led UDF will wind up the operations of the Kerala Bank'. The bank was formally launched by the Chief Minister in a function held in the state capital in 2019, by merging various cooperative banks.
Speaking to the media at his hometown in Alappuzha as part of his statewide yatra, Chennithala alleged that the Kerala Bank was an illegal entity.
"The once fledgling Cooperative banking sector in the state has been destroyed in the name of the Kerala Bank. If we return to power, the Kerala Bank will be wound up," said Chennithala.