BJP can only win in Kerala with Congress support, says CPM secretary M V Govindan

THRISSUR: CPM state secretary M V Govindan on Tuesday said if at all BJP wins any assembly seat in Kerala, it would be at the expense of Congress. Addressing a news conference in Thrissur, Govindan said BJP had earlier won Nemom assembly seat and Thrissur parliament seat by cutting into Congress vote base.Asked whether CPM foresaw the possibilities of Congress supporting BJP in any constituency, Govindan said this would be known only after the elections. Countering the charges levelled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that CPM leaders were involved in the Sabarimala gold theft case, Govindan alleged that it was AICC general secretary K C Venugopal who first took the controversial figure Unnikrishnan Potti to Sabarimala, when he was the devaswom minister. He also alleged that UDF convenor Adoor Prakash and Anto Antony, MP, had taken Potti and Bellary-based gold dealer Govardhan to the house of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, several times. Rahul must explain the true purpose of those visits, the CPM state secretary said. Govindan claimed that LDF has no alliance with SDPI. He, however, did not rule out the possibility of accepting SDPI votes. "Let Congress first say they will not accept the votes of Jamaat-e-Islami, then we will answer the question as to whether we will accept the votes of SDPI," CPM secretary said. Meanwhile, CPM politburo member Brinda Karat said Rahul has shot a ‘self-goal' by raking up Sabarimala issue during his election campaign. Rahul was asking who had stolen gold from Sabarimala, but he should have asked who had taken Potti to Sonia, Brinda told a news conference here.