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A blistering advertisement of the right (BJP) and a stinging bite by the Left have left the Congress crying in Kerala. 

 

The BJP today splashed the front page of all prominent dailies of Kerala with an advertisement that mocks the Congress and the Left brickbats in Kerala and their bonhomie against the BJP. 

 

The advertisement features Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress’ de facto boss Rahul Gandhi hurling stones at each other in Kerala. And in the second frame Pinarayi Vijayan, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Sitaram Yechuri are shown joining hands against the BJP. 

 

  "If the groups that clash with each other in Kerala reach Delhi, it will be a catastrophe. Shouldn't we be prepared?” the advertisement in Malayalam loosely translates into English.  The BJP appealed to voters of Kerala not to vote for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) who elsewhere are pretending to be secular and progressive INDI alliance which can counter the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP dismisses the INDI alliance something which is united by opportunism and divided by doubts and Kerala is an example of this.

 

This is what union minister and BJP firebrand leader Smriti Irani had described: “Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging, Karnataka mein thugging.” 

But the most shocking and unacceptable attack came from the Left, leaving the Congress livid.

 

The CPM MLA PV Anvar launched a barbed offensive against Rahul Gandhi stating that he has stooped to the level of a fourth-class citizen while attacking Kerala CM and he Rahul Gandhi has no right to use the Gandhi surname.“Can such a person be born in the Nehru family I have doubts about it,” and the worst came when Anvar said: “his (Rahul Gandhi) DNA should be examined.” 

 

Adding insult to injuries CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that if he (Rahul) makes provocative statements the Left will pay him in the same coins. 

"Rahul, you were once given a name. Please don't make us feel like there hasn't been any change in you,” Pinarayi Vijayan made a veiled attack that Rahul has not emerged out of the shadow of Pappu.

 

This not only explains the challenges faced by Rahul Gandhi and his party in Kerala it also exposes deep faultlines and contradictions within the INDI alliance. 

 

The conflict began with the announcement of Rahul Gandhi's candidature in Wayanad last month. This move drew sharp criticism from the Left parties, particularly the CPI (M), which leads the government in Kerala. In Wayanad, the Congress's main rival is the Left, an ally in the INDIA bloc, rather than the BJP.

 

 Rahul Gandhi is seeking his re-election against BJP’s K Surendran and Annie Raja of CPI. It was Kerala that saved the political life of Rahul Gandhi during the strong Modi wave in the 2019 elections by ensuring his victory by a margin of over Four Lakh votes. So agitated by Rahul Gandhi's candidature, the Left questioned "Does Rahul Gandhi think the election is child's play?"

 

The Left alleged that Rahul Gandhi was afraid of the BJP hence he ran away from Amethi and landed at Wayanad. Instead of fighting elections against secular forces in Wayanad, he (Rahul Gandhi) should have gone to Amethi.    

 

On paper, the Congress and the Left are comrade-in-arms against Modi and the BJP while in Kerala they have draw their drawn their daggers out against each other. The Left has employed its full force to banish Congress out of the state and the BJP is trying to gain a foothold here. 

 

Kerala and West Bengal are among the few states of the country considered as impregnable bastions of the INDI alliance. But its walls are feared to be falling both internally and externally owing to infighting among parties of the INDI alliance. A similar situation prevails in West Bengal where TMC boss and CM Mamata Banerjee is determined to boot the Congress and the Left out calling them agents of the BJP. Here the Congress and the Left are fighting together. 

 

In 2019, the BJP made significant strides in West Bengal, and this time, Modi has deployed all his resources to secure at least a couple of seats in Kerala. The BJP is eying Kerala for some gains, and, whatsoever Modi grabs, will be a windfall. But for the Congress and the Left, this is a matter of their survival.

 

The poll sheet of 2019 explains their underlying fear. In 2019, the Congress-led UDF alliance won 19 out of 20 seats and completely washed away the Left. The Congress wants to retain that tally whereas the Left alliance is desperate to reclaim its lost ground. In the battle between the two, the BJP is just making boreholes.

 

Officially, in Kerala, the UDF and the LDF refuse to recognize the BJP as a strong political force to reckon with. But they accuse each other of playing in the hands of the BJP.   

 

The LDF blamed the Congress for remaining silent over the Citizenship Amendment Act and said that Rahul Gandhi had a pact with the BJP. The Congress on the other hand slammed Kerala CM that he never uttered anything against the BJP and only targeted the Congress. Rahul Gandhi even claimed that the Kerala CM is silent out of fear of an ongoing money laundering investigation against his associates.

 

All 20 seats of Kerala will go for elections on April 26.