Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Congress party in a Facebook post on Thursday. He alleged that the party's general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is contesting the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election with the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami.
"So, what exactly is Congress' stance? Our country is not unfamiliar with Jamaat-e-Islami. Does that organisation's ideology align with democratic values?" he asked in the post.
The Chief Minister claimed that the by-election in Wayanad has completely exposed the Congress party's secular mask. He stated that Jamaat-e-Islami does not value the nation or its democracy and disregards the country's governance structure. He accused the organisation of operating under the guise of political involvement through the Welfare Party, a facade particularly evident in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the recent elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Pinarayi claimed that Jamaat-e-Islami planned to contest three or four seats there, ultimately focusing on the seat where CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami was contesting. "The goal was to defeat Tarigami, and the BJP shared this objective. However, despite this alliance of extremists and the BJP, the people chose Tarigami," he said.
The Chief Minister also said, "Although the Jamaat-e-Islami in Wayanad claims to be different from that in Kashmir, their ideology remains the same—one that does not accept any form of democratic governance. This time, they feel like supporting the Congress-led UDF." Targeting the Congress, Vijayan asked, "Shouldn't those who stand for secularism oppose all forms of sectarianism?"
The chief minister urged Congress leaders to recall a statement by the late Marxist leader E M S Namboodiripad, highlighting his firm stance against communal alliances.
Referring to EMS Namboodiripad's statement in a by-election in Thalassery, "We do not want RSS votes", Vijayan questioned whether Congress could take a similar stance.
