CM Vijayan takes aim at Congress on defections, says 'today's leaders not seen tomorrow'

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday took potshots at the Congress in Kerala, after it lost some well-known party members such as Padmaja Venugopal to the BJP in recent days. ''The ones we see there today in Congress are not seen there tomorrow,'' Vijayan said, taking a swipe at the main opposition party.

''We do not know how many are going. We do not get to see those whom we see there today,'' Vijayan told reporters here, reacting to questions regarding Congress leaders joining the BJP in Kerala.

His statement also came hours after former Indian athlete Padmini Thomas and ex-District Congress Committee General Secretary Thampanoor Satheesh switched allegiances to the saffron party.

Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of Congress stalwart and former Chief Minister K Karunakaran, recently quit the Congress and joined the BJP.

Reacting to Congress leader V D Satheesan's recent allegations that the chief minister had a role in Padmaja leaving the Congress, Vijayan brought up the list of other Congress leaders who had quit the party to join the BJP, and questioned what the cause of the attrition was.

''Ex-Congress Chief Ministers of 12 states have joined the BJP. Former PCC presidents, top AICC leaders,'' the chief minister pointed out. ''What a shameful act has been committed by the Congress leaders? Still, people are ready to quit the party (to join the BJP),'' he remarked.

Vijayan, a veteran CPI(M) leader, also said the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Congress together are trying to win the Parliament elections but they will fall far behind this time.

The chief minister said the fight in Kerala in the upcoming election is definitely between the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF, and that the BJP is not going to gain any seat.

Vijayan also criticised the decision of AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, to contest from Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat, saying the move is meant to help the BJP, but it will not succeed.

''Before deciding to contest, he should have thought about who is going to benefit. Obviously, the BJP. But he need not be worried as the people will act accordingly, and he will get a chance to complete his Rajya Sabha term,'' the CM said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)