Kasaragod: With the BJP and the CPM in its crosshairs, the Congress launched its statewide Lok Sabha election campaign Samaragni People's Protest Yatra on Friday.
If the two governments -- BJP's at the Centre and the CPM's in the state -- are not pulled down, democracy will be in danger, said Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal.
He said the Congress was taking out the yatra to save the CPM, too. "Pinarayi Vijayan has taken a contract to take the CPM down the Bengal way. He is not against the BJP or communalism. He will go to any extent to protect his post and his family members," he said, alleging the Chief Minister has a secret understanding with the BJP.
"Kasaragod has a lot of honest CPM workers. I ask you if the party is sticking to its ideology. CPM workers should know this yatra is also to save your party," Venugopal said.
Congress state President K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan are captaining the Yatra which will reach Thiruvananthapuram on 29.
Venugopal mocked the BJP government for releasing a white paper on the UPA era. "No one with a modicum of intelligence will release a white paper on the economic policies of a government that exited office 10 years ago but remains silent on its own 10 years in power," he said.
He said the Narendra Modi-led government indulged in the meaningless exercise because it did not have anything to show after 10 years in power, he said.
Venugopal said Modi should first fulfill the guarantees he made to come to power in 2014, before making new guarantees.
He, however, said the Congress saw the white paper as an opportunity to discuss UPA government achievement in parliament.
When Manipur was burning, Modi came to Thrissur twice in 10 days. "He cannot go to Manipur because the violence there was sponsored by the BJP," said the Congress leader.
He said Modi's only guarantee is to divide the people of the country. In Parliament, Modi said he would return to power with 370 seats. "Are you saying this because Bharat Electronics which makes EVMs has BJP leaders as directors?" he said.
Former Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said Modi spoke in parliament for more than one hour last day but did not mention anything about what he did for the nation. "He only tried to insult the Congress and (Jawaharlal) Nehru," he said. "Those who killed Gandhi are now trying to murder Nehru, a world citizen," he said.
The world knows Nehru's contribution to making India a secular country, Chennithala said and added that the Congress stood for temples, mosques, and gurudwaras.
All the speakers appreciated Kasaragod Lok Sabha member Rajmohan Unnithan, almost confirming his candidature for the second time.
Saturday morning, the yatra captains Sudhakaran and Satheesan would be meeting the common citizens of Kasaragod, in an apparent dig at the Chief Minister for meeting "prominent citizens" during his Kerala Sadas Yatra.
