CPI(M) seeks clarification from Congress over poll allegations ahead of INDIA bloc meet

Ahead of a crucial INDIA bloc meeting on June 8, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has requested clarification from the Congress party regarding allegations made by Rahul Gandhi.

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I have been informed by Shri K.C. Venugopal about the meeting of the INDIA bloc parties to be held on June 8, 2026. In this connection, I would like to cite a recent political development during the assembly elections. There was a systematic campaign by the Congress leadership during the Kerala assembly elections that the CPI(M) and the BJP have struck a deal. Further, it was alleged that the CPI(M)’s senior leader, member of the Politburo, and then Chief Minister, Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan, had also struck a deal with Modi. The question was posed, otherwise, ‘why is it that he has not been interrogated or arrested by the Enforcement Directorate’?

M.A. Baby, the CPI(M) general secretary, is seeking an explanation for Gandhi's claims that the CPI(M) had an understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the recent Kerala assembly elections. Baby stated he would not attend the meeting in Delhi and would send party lawmaker John Brittas instead, citing prior engagements in Kerala.

This request comes as the INDIA bloc prepares for its first meeting since December 2023, a period marked by significant electoral losses for the opposition coalition in the Lok Sabha elections and subsequent state polls. While leaders from several key parties are expected, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has announced its withdrawal from the meeting, citing the Congress's alliance with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) as a "betrayal."

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These were not stray remarks made in the heat of an election campaign, but were the centerpiece of your (the Congress’s) political campaign.

In a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Baby detailed his concerns. He highlighted that Gandhi and other Congress leaders repeatedly accused the CPI(M) and its former Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, of striking a deal with Prime Minister Modi. Baby questioned whether these accusations, which included calls for ED action against Vijayan, constituted an anti-BJP stance or an attempt to invite punitive action against a fellow opposition leader. He argued that such clarifications are necessary for the INDIA bloc's purpose to remain intact.

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The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi, has repeatedly called for ED action against the then Kerala Chief Minister. Can this be termed as an anti-BJP stance or is it a case of inviting the Modi government to take illegal punitive action against a fellow opposition leader? Unless these matters are clarified, the very purpose of the INDIA bloc would be in question.