Kerala chief minister’s allegations against Rahul Gandhi part of CPM-BJP deal: Sunny Joseph

Kannur: KPCC president Sunny Joseph on Tuesday alleged that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's repeated attacks on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were part of ‘the political deal' between CPM and BJP ahead of assembly polls.Speaking at a press conference at DCC office in Kannur, the KPCC president said Pinarayi Vijyan was targeting Gandhi by raising baseless and politically motivated criticisms. "Whether CPM central leadership endorses this and Vijayan's silence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi?", asked Joseph. KPCC chief added that Gandhi has taken a strong stand against the wrong policies of the Union govt and that was why he was being targeted. Multiple cases have been registered against him across the country for speaking against BJP. "He was disqualified from Parliament for opposing central govt's policies and speaker's partisanship. Rahul is the secular face of India," said KPCC president. He added that CPM's candidates in Tamil Nadu are using Gandhi's images to attract voters. But Vijayan is indirectly helping BJP here. That is why Lavlin and gold smuggling cases have vanished from the public sphere, he alleged. Responding to the developments in Palakkad, KPCC president said there was a CPM-BJP understanding in Palakkad. He further criticised Vijayan's style of functioning, citing the chief minister's controversial remarks like ‘go home and ask questions' against a CPM worker, who tried to ask him a question at a public event. People should respond to the CM's wrong approach through ballot, he added.