The Congress party’s decision to exclude Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Karnataka has drawn criticism from the CPM leadership. Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar are set to take oaths as the chief minister and deputy CM of Karnataka respectively on Saturday. While many state leaders have been invited, the CMs of Kerala and Telangana have been left out.
Expressing dissatisfaction, former CPM general secretary Prakash Karat urged the Congress party to transcend its limited perspective and prioritize the broader objective of opposition unity. Speaking at an event commemorating EK Nayanar in Kannur, Karat emphasized, “The Congress party must give up its narrow outlook of looking only at its petty interests in the state for the wider goal of building the unity of all democratic and secular forces to fight the BJP in the 2024 Parliament elections.”
Karat further highlighted the need for the Congress to recognize that they are not the sole major force fighting against the BJP, referring to the upcoming elections in Telangana where the ruling party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), has openly declared its opposition to the BJP. He criticized the Congress party’s unawareness of the growing BJP presence in Telangana and emphasized the importance of collective efforts to combat the BJP at the national level.
EP Jayarajan, the LDF convener, described the Congress leadership’s exclusion of Pinarayi Vijayan as an indication of their “immature” politics and lack of direction. Despite the differences between the CPM and the Congress in Kerala, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury will attend the ceremony in Bengaluru on Saturday as a representative of the CPM. Karat explained that despite the hostile approach of the Congress party towards the CPM in Kerala, the nationwide fight against the BJP takes precedence, and they aim to bring together all opposition parties.
In the May 10 elections, the Congress party regained power from the BJP in Karnataka with a decisive victory, securing 135 out of 224 seats in the Assembly, while the BJP managed only 66 seats.
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