Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has vehemently denied HD Deve Gowda's assertions that he had consented to the alliance between the CPI(M) leader's party and the BJP in Karnataka. The Chief Minister dismissed the former Prime Minister's claims as "nothing short of a delusional fantasy" and accused the veteran leader of falsehood.
Vijayan's CPI(M) in Kerala shares a partnership with HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular), which recently joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP. The decision was met with disapproval from several JD(S) leaders in Karnataka, with the state unit rejecting the central leadership's decision.
However, on Thursday, Deve Gowda asserted that all state units of JD(S), including those in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra, had given their approval for an alliance with the BJP.
"In Kerala, we are part of the government, and our MLA holds a ministerial position there. These units understood the situation that led us to align with the BJP and supported our decision. Our minister in the Left party's government (K Krishnankutty) in Kerala has consented to our alliance," he stated.
"Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the Left government has fully endorsed our decision to collaborate with the BJP in Karnataka to safeguard the party. This is the stance," Deve Gowda claimed.
In response to Deve Gowda's statements, Pinarayi Vijayan deemed them "untrue and entirely absurd" and accused the JD(S) leader of fabricating facts to justify his own political maneuvers.
The Chief Minister further accused Deve Gowda of "betraying" his party's principles by forming an alliance with the BJP to secure the position of chief minister for his son, Kumaraswamy.
Pinarayi Vijayan also highlighted the long-standing alliance between JD(S) and the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala. He commended the state leadership of JD(S) for upholding their commitment to the LDF, even when the national leadership took a different stance. He also clarified that neither he nor the CPI(M) had interfered in the internal affairs of JD(S).
"That's not our way," he stated.
Kerala JD(S) leader K Krishnankutty, who also serves as a minister in the LDF government, refuted Deve Gowda's statement and reiterated the state unit's commitment to maintaining its alliance with the CPI(M).
"I, along with our state president Mathew T Thomas, MLA, met him (Deve Gowda) and conveyed our objection to joining the BJP. The state party unit stands by its earlier decision to stand with the Left party in Kerala," Krishnankutty explained.
Â
