‘Can genuine secular parties trust Congress?’: Kerala CM and INDIA ally Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the Congress in a sharply-worded article, accusing that its stance contributed to BJP victories in several states, including the recent Delhi Assembly elections. “Congress claims that only they can resist the Sangh Parivar. But, what is the truth? In the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, the farmer anger against central policies significantly impacted the BJP in the last Lok Sabha elections and subsequent assembly elections. Despite this, it is Congress's policy that brought the BJP to power in those places,” he noted, while adding that the Congress prevented the consolidation of secular votes by projecting a non-existent strength. “Thus, Congress took on the role of undermining the public desire to defeat the BJP. The main factor that led to the BJP's victory was Congress's disintegration strategy of dividing secular votes in this manner,” he said.

CM Vijayan added that the Congress adopts an arrogant approach towards other opposition parties that oppose the BJP. “The most recent example of this was seen in the Delhi Assembly elections held in February 2025,” Vijayan said. “Congress had not won a single seat in the Delhi Assembly in 2015 and 2020. Despite this, Congress saw defeating the Aam Aadmi Party, the main force against the BJP in Delhi, as its primary goal. Congress leaders said that making the Aam Aadmi Party win in Delhi was not their job.”

In Delhi, the BJP got 48 seats and the AAP 22 seats. If some figures of the Election Commission are examined, it can be seen that the BJP won 14 seats in the Delhi elections solely due to the stance of Congress, Vijayan noted.

“If Congress had taken a stand for secular unity by understanding its limitations with the political awareness that the BJP is the biggest challenge, wouldn't the picture have been different?” he wrote, while adding that what Congress did was an unforgivable mistake.

The CM noted that a few months ago, the Congress adopted the same approach towards regional parties in Haryana as well. “So, they themselves repeatedly make it clear that Congress's job is not to defeat the BJP, but to ensure their victory. Words go one way. Actions go another. Can genuine secular parties trust such a Congress? Parties like the [Indian Union Muslim] League should consider this,” Vijayan once again put out a subtle bait for the IUML, which is a strong ally of the Congress in Kerala.

“If Congress believes that they are the most capable party to defeat the BJP, is this the approach they will take in the assembly elections? In the current situation, Congress has become a party that seems to have no concern about the future of Indian democracy if the BJP, which upholds the idea of majority communalism, captures more legislative assemblies. Isn't Congress enabling the BJP's goals of securing dominance in the Rajya Sabha and even changing the Constitution according to their agenda?"

Notably, CM Vijayan's anti-Congress article comes just ahead of the crucial CPI(M) state conference in Kollam. While it directly criticises Congress, it can also be seen as Vijayan’s subtle signal to his party comrades that, with local body elections and the 2026 assembly polls approaching, Congress remains the primary political adversary in Kerala—its last stronghold.

Notably, the CPI(M) is also pushing the stance that while the Modi government exhibits “neofascistic characteristics”, it is neither fully fascist nor neofascist. Political observers interpret this nuanced wordplay as a strategic move to protect the interests of the CPI(M) Kerala unit, as labelling the BJP government as fascist would compel it to rally behind an anti-fascist front led by Congress, which remains the largest opposition party in India.