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'Political inferiority complex': Congress lashes out at CPI(M)

Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday lashed out at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) over its criticism of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing the Left party of displaying a "political inferiority complex" and failing to introspect on its own electoral decline.

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In a strongly-worded statement on Facebook, Venugopal said the CPI(M)'s remarks against Rahul Gandhi were "utterly ridiculous," especially considering that the party, outside Keralam, has often relied on the support of the Congress and its allies to maintain its political relevance. The Congress leader alleged that leaders who had benefited electorally from Rahul Gandhi's image were now attempting to undermine him by calling 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.

Electoral defeat in Kerala the real reason, says Venugopal

Venugopal further claimed that the CPI(M)'s criticism stemmed from its electoral setbacks, particularly in Keralam. Highlighting the objectives behind the INDIA bloc, Venugopal said the opposition alliance was formed under the initiative of the Congress to protect democracy and the Constitution from what he termed 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 former CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Venugopal said Yechury understood the larger objectives behind the alliance and accused the CPI(M) of conveniently ignoring its own past political positions. The Congress leader also asserted that Rahul Gandhi has been at the forefront of challenging the BJP's alleged misuse of investigative agencies against political opponents. He further alleged that the CPI(M) was pursuing a narrow political agenda focused on state-specific interests rather than adopting a cohesive national approach.

"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.

What CPI(M) said about Rahul Gandhi

This comes after CPI (M) General Secretary M A Baby termed Rahul Gandhi a "facilitator for the ED and Modi government", accusing him of demanding former Keralam CM Pinarayi Vijayan's arrest from the Centre. "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," said Baby. (ANI)