Thiruvananthapuram: JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's claim that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan supported his party's alliance with the BJP in Karnataka has sparked political controversy in Kerala.
Vijayan, also a veteran CPI(M) leader, on Friday categorically denied Gowda's statement, while the Congress party used this opportunity to allege that the BJP and the Left party in Kerala have an understanding. Gowda had said on Thursday in Bengaluru that Vijayan had granted full approval for the JD(S)' alliance with the BJP in Karnataka to protect the party's interests.
Responding to the claim, Vijayan on Friday dismissed it as "both baseless and devoid of truth". In a statement issued hours after Gowda had claimed that Vijayan had greenlit his party's alliance with the BJP in Karnataka, the Chief Minister today asked the former Prime Minister to correct his statement. In a strongly worded statement, Vijayan said the JD(S) state unit had made it clear that it was categorically against the association with the BJP and that it would stand strong with the Left Front.
"This is not the first time Deve Gowda is joining hands with the BJP. We all remember 2006, when JD(S) joined the BJP. He left this ideology and associated with the BJP to get a ministerial post for his son," Vijayan said. Vijayan also attacked the Congress which has alleged that the CPI(M) has links with the BJP, and asked the grand old party "not to make a fool out of themselves".
After a political row erupted in Kerala over the statement by the JD(S) supremo, the opposition Congress alleged that the JD(S) national leader's revelation has established the undercurrent between the ruling CPI(M) and the BJP in Kerala. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan made the allegation.
Gowda, a former Prime Minister, had yesterday claimed that all the state units of his party, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, had given their consent for it to align with the BJP and that Vijayan had concurred with the move that would "save" the JD(S).
Satheesan today alleged that the links between Vijayan, the Left party and the BJP have now come out in the open. "We had earlier raised this allegation. A party which is part of NDA is also part of the state cabinet of the Left government in Kerala led by Pinarayi Vijayan. Now that Deve Gowda has made a revelation, it's become clear that it is BJP that has linked the two parties," Satheesan alleged.
Meanwhile, KPCC president K Sudhakaran on Friday alleged that the statement of Gowda gives a clear picture of Pinarayi Vijayan falling at the feet of the BJP to save him from various cases."The chief minister should reveal the details behind this statement. If the statement made by the former prime minister is false, then a case should be registered against him," Sudhakaran said in a statement.
Opposing the association of the JD(S)'s top leadership with the BJP, the Karnataka-based party's state president Mathew T Thomas today said Gowda's claim was baseless, adding that it might be a "misunderstanding due to his age". JD(S) state leader and minister in the Left front government in Kerala K Krishnankutty denied Gowda's statement and said the state leadership of the party had informed the former PM about their objection in joining the BJP-led Front.
Thomas, who met the media here, said such a statement by Gowda could create a misunderstanding in Kerala's political atmosphere. "We hope it was a misunderstanding on his behalf or it was a mistake due to his age. There is no need for Pinarayi Vijayan to interfere. As far as I understand, Pinarayi Vijayan has not interacted with Gowda for years. That (Gowda's) is a baseless statement and we categorically deny it," Thomas told the media. He said there was no discussion in any party front with regard to joining the BJP-led front.
"I met him (Deve Gowda) along with our state president Mathew T Thomas MLA and informed him about our objection in joining the BJP. The state party unit holds on to its earlier decision to stand firm with the Left party in Kerala," Krishnankutty said today. Attacking the opposition UDF, Vijayan turned the tables on the Congress saying it was ruling many local self government institutions in the state with the help of the BJP.
"The statement of Gowda is both baseless and devoid of truth. He is trying to justify his frequent flip-flopping on political parties," Vijayan said. The senior Left leader also said that the JD(S) in Kerala has been standing strong with the Left Front for the past many years. He said the state leadership had earlier also cut ties with the national leadership when they joined the BJP.
"The CPI(M) has never tried to make any statement in connection with that party's internal matters. We are not responsible for somebody's revelation. It's political decency to correct that statement," Vijayan said. Earlier, the Kerala unit of JD(S) had rejected the decision of the party leadership to join the NDA and said it would stand firm with the Left front in the state. After the state committee meeting held in Kochi on October 7, Thomas had said that the high command made the announcement without discussions at any party forum.
