Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, of taking political positions that will help the BJP, instead of strengthening the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.
His comments in Kozhikode on Saturday (June 13, 2026) came in the wake of a remark made by Mr. Gandhi during an INDIA bloc meeting on June 9. The Congress released the audio and the transcript of Mr. Gandhi’s speech on June 12. “We have our fights, but if you are asking me to go and hug the ex-Chief Minister of Kerala — I cannot and I will not, because I have an ongoing political fight with him,” he had said.
Responding to this, Mr. Vijayan said that the INDIA bloc was facing its current crisis because of Mr. Gandhi’s approach. He pointed out that leaders such as Tejashwi Yadav (of the Rashtriya Janata Dal) and Akhilesh Yadav (of the Samajwadi Party) had aired their views against this political position of the Congress.
“We have seen what is happening with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. All this is because of Mr. Gandhi’s approach. He is not trying to strengthen the INDIA bloc, but becoming an aid of the BJP,” Mr. Vijayan alleged.
The senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader also said that he did not have the practice of hugging people when he meets them. Mr. Vijayan said that he had rarely done it. “If I meet Mr. Gandhi, I either shake hands with him or we greet each other by folding our hands. But we have seen another photo of him hugging [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi. I don’t have any problem with that. But, what he said during the INDIA bloc meeting was portraying it in a different way,” Mr. Vijayan said.
Meanwhile, the former Chief Minister criticised the Health department for what he termed as its casual approach to dealing with the recent Nipah case in Kozhikode. Mr. Vijayan said that the government was not giving the issue the attention it deserved and there were lapses in the containment steps.
He said Health Minister K. Muraleedharan had not bothered to come to Kozhikode. Pointing out that though none of the Health Ministers in recent times were medical degree holders, he said, they were well-prepared to meet any emergency.
Mr. Vijayan also said that the appointment of K.B. Pradeep as Devaswom Special government pleader who reportedly represented the Chennai-based Smart Creations, a firm allegedly involved in the Sabarimala gold theft case, was strange. Mr. Pradeep has since resigned from the post. Mr. Vijayan wondered how Mr. Muraleedharan, who also holds the Devaswom portolio, was unaware of the appointment.
Mr. Vijayan was in Kozhikode on his way to Malappuram to attend an event in memory of former Kerala Chief Minister E.M.S. Namboodiripad.
Published - June 13, 2026 12:26 pm IST
Kerala / Indian National Congress / Rahul Gandhi / Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist Liberation
Source: The Hindu - India News
