The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has deputed Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas to attend the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for June 8 in New Delhi, even as the Left party sought clarification from the Congress over allegations of a CPI(M)-BJP understanding during the Kerala Assembly elections.
CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby has written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking an explanation for remarks made by senior Congress leaders that suggested a political understanding between the CPI(M) and the BJP.
In the letter, Baby expressed concern over what he described as a "systematic campaign" by the Congress leadership. He said Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Kharge himself, repeatedly claimed during the election campaign that senior CPI(M) leader and then Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had reached an understanding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I have been informed by K.C. Venugopal about the meeting of the INDIA bloc parties to be held on the June 8, 2026. In this connection I would like to cite a recent political development during the assembly elections," Baby said in the letter.
"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," he added.
'Letter exposes deep fissures in INDIA bloc'
Meanwhile, the BJP took a jibe at the Opposition grouping, saying Baby's letter has put the Congress in the dock and raises questions about the unity of the INDIA alliance.
"This is the real state of the INDI alliance -- no mission, no vision, only confusion, division, allegations and ambition for positions," BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said in a video statement.
"One more setback has hit the INDI alliance after the DMK said it will not attend the meeting. The NCP (SP) may also stay away, while the JMM has been locked in a dispute with the Congress over a Rajya Sabha seat in Jharkhand," he added.
The DMK, upset over the Congress's support to Vijay-led TVK in Tamil Nadu, announced on Thursday that it would not participate in the INDIA bloc meeting.
The Dravidian party said it was staying away from the meeting in deference to the sentiments of its cadre, who felt deeply hurt by what it termed the Congress party's betrayal.
'A canard which we cannot take lightly'
In his letter, Baby noted that the INDIA bloc was formed as a broad platform to politically challenge the BJP and that parties with diverse ideological backgrounds had come together for this common objective.
“Right from the June 2023 Patna meeting that launched the INDIA bloc, the CPI(M) has worked sincerely to see such a united platform emerge. Strangely, now, the CPI(M) is accused of having a deal with the BJP. This is a canard which we cannot take lightly," Baby said.
The CPI(M) leader also recalled that hundreds of party workers had lost their lives in the party's struggle against the RSS-BJP.
“We would also like to bring to your notice that during the last ten years of LDF rule in Kerala, there were no communal riots of any sort, unlike in many other states, which vouches for our commitment towards secularism and safeguarding communal harmony," he added.
Taking strong exception to Rahul Gandhi's remarks calling for Enforcement Directorate action against Pinarayi Vijayan, Baby questioned whether such statements could be considered part of an anti-BJP stance or amounted to inviting the Modi government to take action against a fellow opposition leader.
"Unless these matters are clarified, the very purpose of the INDIA bloc would be in question. As the President of the Indian National Congress, it is up to you and the Congress leadership to clear the air regarding such disruptive moves," he noted.
Senior leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are scheduled to meet in the national capital on Monday to discuss a joint strategy to take on the BJP-led government and reinforce opposition unity.
Among those expected to attend are TMC chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
