Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday accused the Congress of facilitating the BJP’s growth in the state, citing recent political developments in Mattathur panchayat in Thrissur district.
In Mattathur, eight Congress councillors resigned from the party and joined hands with the BJP to support an independent candidate for the president's post, preventing the LDF from retaining control of the local body. The numbers in Mattathur were already tight: the LDF held 10 seats, the Congress 8, and the BJP 4, with two independents in the mix. When one independent, a Congress rebel named KROuseph, decided to side with the LDF, it looked like the Left had the presidency secured.
However, in a move that caught many off guard, the remaining Congress members quit the party and voted alongside the BJP for another independent, Tessi Jose, snatching victory from the LDF’s hands. Chief Minister Vijayan didn't hold back in his response, taking to social media to call the incident a "political spectacle" that exposes the Congress's true colors. He argued that the Congress is essentially a waiting room for people looking to jump to the BJP, comparing the Mattathur situation to famous mass defections in Goa, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh. According to CM Vijayan, the grand old party's leadership in Kerala has no "moral conflict" in swapping the hand symbol for the lotus if it means keeping the Left out of power. He warned that this "Mattathur model" is a dangerous trend that only serves to normalise defections and strengthen the Sangh Parivar’s foothold in the state. The Congress camp, however, tells a very different story.
VD Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition, dismissed the Chief Minister’s claims as a desperate attempt to create a narrative where none exists. He, further, insisted that the councillors haven't "joined" the BJP; rather, they made a tactical choice to support an independent candidate to prevent a CPI(M) takeover. Satheesan pointed out that the party has already taken disciplinary action by suspending the councillors involved for violating the official party line.
Turning the tables, Satheesan accused Vijayan himself of having an "under-the-table" understanding with the central government, suggesting the Chief Minister is the one who aligns with Narendra Modi whenever it suits him. While the councillors in Mattathur insist they remain independent of the BJP, the fallout has reignited the long-standing debate over whether the Congress is firm enough in its opposition to the saffron party in Kerala, or if the "enemy of my enemy" logic is leading to a strange new political alignment.
Also read: Stay out of our state's affairs: Shivakumar to Kerala CM
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