The use of Congress party’s flags or those of its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), in Rahul Gandhi’s roadshow in Wayanad ignited a political dispute in Kerala. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that the Congress was “ashamed” of displaying the IUML flag in its rally, while the CPI(M) alleged that the flags were omitted because Congress feared the BJP.
Responding to the accusations, the Congress criticized both the CPI(M) and the BJP, asserting its autonomy in conducting election campaigns. The party stated that it does not require instruction from any quarter on how to conduct a poll campaign and criticized the CPI(M) for joining the INDIA bloc solely to preserve its vote share and party symbol.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accused the Congress of exhibiting fear towards the BJP, claiming that Congress and IUML flags were absent from Rahul Gandhi’s roadshow in Wayanad. He criticized Rahul Gandhi for lacking the courage to publicly display the flags, suggesting that Congress desired IUML supporters’ votes but hesitated to openly acknowledge the alliance.
Vijayan attributed the absence of both Congress and IUML flags to the BJP’s previous remarks in 2019, insinuating that Congress omitted IUML flags due to its apprehension of the BJP.
In response to these allegations, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan dismissed the accusations, accusing the Kerala CM and the BJP of forming a close alliance. He emphasized that the campaign strategies of the Congress are not dictated by the CPI(M) headquarters and accused both the BJP and CPI(M) of conspiring to create space for the BJP by joining the INDIA bloc to safeguard their vote share and election symbol.
The electoral contest in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat involves Rahul Gandhi of Congress, CPI leader Annie Raja, and BJP state chief K Surendran. The Lok Sabha elections in Kerala are scheduled for April 26, with results announced on June 4.