Thrissur: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has reminded the Congress of 'opposition unity' in between its resounding success in the Karnataka Assembly Elections.
The CPM leader said even as South India has succeeded in getting 'rid of BJP', the 'aim is to defeat' the party ruling the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"... to make that happen it is important to accept the reality of each state and take state-specific positions for lining up against the BJP," Pinarayi said at a public meeting in Guruvayur here on Sunday.
Karnataka was the only southern state ruled by BJP until the Congress wrested the power back with a comfortable margin in the latest assembly elections. The Congress won 135 of the 224 seats while the BJP was reduced to 66.
Pinarayi, whose CPM-led Left Democratic Front governs Kerala, said the Congress cannot rule the country on its own anymore. "The Congress ruled the country by itself for a long time. But it is not the same Congress, they are weaker.
"Now South India is completely rid of BJP. But the governments in Telangana or Andhra or Tamil Nadu or Kerala are not of Congress. Congress has to accept that reality," said Pinarayi.
The Kerala CM has appealed to his southern allies to 'avoid unnecessary disputes' "because the most important thing is the protection of secularism, democracy and parliamentary democracy in our country. If we take a position in this regard, rest assured, BJP can be thrashed in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls".
'Karnataka verdict a response to CAA'
Pinarayi said the verdict in Karnataka was a reaction to the BJP's attempt to serve 'citizenships based on religious lines'. "The BJP in the Centre came up with the CAA (Citizenship (Amendment) Act) that was to give citizenships based on religion. But the people of Karnataka have given a fitting reply. We must observe the defeats suffered by BJP in the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. The citizens of the country have realised giving another term for BJP will be catastrophic," Pinarayi said.