Thiruvananthapuram: The high-decibel political spat in poll-bound Kerala has further exposed the faultlines in the I.N.D.I.A bloc.
Even before the campaign for the April 9 Assembly elections gathered momentum, leaders of the Congress and the CPI(M) had begun trading charges that each side had struck a deal with the BJP for transfer of votes in select constituencies.
The wrangling has escalated, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for endorsing the charge, which has been part of the Congress narrative in the state for some time.
In his online address to a UDF rally in Kozhikode, Gandhi said the contest in Kerala was between the UDF and a “partnership” of the BJP and the LDF. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was present at the rally, reinforced the charge, urging party workers to remain vigilant.
Responding sharply, Vijayan said it was unfortunate that a leader held in high esteem by Congress workers across the country often displayed a lack of understanding of the situation and stooped to the level of local political rhetoric.
In a statement, the CPI(M) politburo recorded its “strong disapproval” of the remarks made by Gandhi and Kharge, terming them “provocative.”
“By targeting the CPI(M) instead of the BJP, Congress leaders are reneging on their claim of fighting communal-authoritarian forces. The people of Kerala will see through this sinister agenda,” the statement said.
Taking a swipe at Vijayan, Congress’s state leader V. D. Satheesan said the chief minister was trying to get into the “good books” of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah by attacking Gandhi.
Political developments since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have already exposed the fragility of the I.N.D.I.A bloc.
Among the states heading for elections, this structural weakness is most evident in Kerala, where key constituents of the alliance are competing against each other.
In Tamil Nadu, all I.N.D.I.A partners are contesting together under the DMK-led alliance.
In West Bengal, neither the Congress nor the CPI(M) is a dominant player. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) faces the BJP as its principal challenger, and has never been an active participant in the opposition bloc.
In Assam, the contest is largely bipolar between the BJP and the Congress.
Returning to Kerala, allegations of an “unholy truck” (understood as tacit understanding) with the BJP have long been a subtext of electoral politics in the state, used by both the LDF and the UDF against each other.
Since the mid-1980s, the LDF has frequently raised the charge of a “secret pact” between the Congress and the BJP. It even coined the slogan “co-lee-bee” to suggest that the Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League and the BJP were working together against the Left.
The BJP has consistently dismissed such allegations as baseless propaganda by rivals unsettled by its growing presence in the state.
However, speculation about a possible LDF–BJP understanding gained traction after the UDF’s strong performance in the recent local body elections.
The consolidation of Muslim and Christian voters in favour of the UDF created a perception that the LDF might need a counter-consolidation of Hindu votes to secure a third consecutive term.
Proponents of this theory argue that the BJP has little to lose by allowing such speculation to persist, as a Congress defeat serves its long-term political interests both in Kerala and nationally.
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