Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his claim that the Left had sided with those who attacked nuns in Chhattisgarh, describing the allegation as "ignorant and an instance of excessive rhetoric."

The controversy stems from the arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh in July last year on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. The incident had sparked a political confrontation, with both the Congress and the CPM targeting the BJP.

In a strongly worded statement, Vijayan said Rahul seemed to have overlooked the Congress party’s role in shaping legal provisions that are now being "misused" against minorities, including nuns, in BJP-ruled states.

The Chief Minister’s response followed Rahul’s remarks at election rallies, where he cited incidents involving minorities in Manipur and Chhattisgarh. Rahul alleged that Vijayan was aligned with forces responsible for such attacks, suggesting a BJP-LDF nexus.

Vijayan countered that the law invoked in the arrest of the nuns originated around the time Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000 and was later retained by the Congress government led by Ajit Jogi.

He argued that the legislation has often been used against minority communities, adding that successive Congress administrations "failed to repeal it despite being in power for years." Citing developments during the 2022–23 Christmas–New Year period, Vijayan further accused the Congress of failing to act when thousands of tribal Christians were reportedly displaced amid violence in the state. He also questioned whether Rahul had distanced himself from the party leadership during that period.

Reaffirming the Left’s stand, Vijayan said the CPM has consistently opposed such "unconstitutional" laws and has called for their repeal, including incorporating the demand in its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

He added that the CPM had strongly protested the arrest of the nuns in Chhattisgarh and that senior leaders had intervened on the ground. In contrast, he alleged that the Congress response lacked seriousness, with reactions largely limited to leaders from Kerala, while the party’s Chhattisgarh leadership remained mostly silent.

Posing a direct question to Rahul, Vijayan asked whether the Congress would be willing to scrap similar laws in states where it is currently in power, including Himachal Pradesh. "As far as the CPM is concerned, Rahul Gandhi need not attempt to judge the party by the Congress’s political standards," he added.