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Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged a partnership between the Left Democratic Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing Kerala's ruling CPI(M) of "dividing people."
Launching the United Democratic Alliance's (UDF) campaign for Kerala elections in Kozhikode, Rahul Gandhi alleged that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not fulfil the promise of 40 lakh jobs. Virtually addressing the rally, he said, "There are actually only two sides fighting here in Keralam. One is the UDF alliance, and the other is the partnership between the BJP and the LDF. The UDF unites people, listens to them, and embraces and empowers them. The LDF and their hidden partner divide people and crush them." "Modi ji promised 2 crore jobs at the national level. Keralam Chief Minister promised 40 lakh jobs in the state, and after a decade, you find that they have not given a single job to the people; in fact, they have destroyed jobs. Neither the BJP nor the LDF believe they are answerable to the people. They do not believe that the people of Keralam should be able to ask them questions," he added. The Congress leader said that he could not attend the rally in person as his mother and senior party leader Sonia Gandhi was hospitalised in New Delhi. "I would have liked to come here, but I was forced to stay in today and was unable to come. Yesterday, my mother was hospitalized and I, as a son, was quite worried about her and so decided to stay with her. I know that the people of Kerala will understand this. Last night, I was extremely worried about my mother's health. The whole night, I was only comforted by one thing. I was comforted by a nurse from Kerala who came in every hour to check on my mother," he said. Earlier today, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge gave the clarion call for the United Democratic Front's (UDF) campaign, saying that the people demand a change in governance. Kharge also criticised the Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the handling of the Sabarimala gold theft case. The Congress chief promised free bus travel for women and an increase in welfare pension to Rs 3,000. On Congress' promises, he announced, "Free KSRTC bus travel for women and Rs 1000 a month as financial support for college-going girls, increasing Welfare Pension to Rs 3000, Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme with coverage of Rs. 25 Lakh per family, interest-free loans of up to five lakh for the youth and establishing a Special Department for senior citizens." The polling for the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23. The Congress-led UDF seek to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF and gain control of the 140-member assembly. The LDF-led government has governed the state for around a decade. (ANI)
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