Kerala CM Vijayan slams Congress over absence of ally CPM and IUML flags in Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad roadshow

Thiruvananthapuram: A day after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi kicked off his poll campaign for Wayanad Lok Sabha seat by holding a roadshow, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday alleged the grand old party did not show its and ally IUML's flags during the event as it was scared of BJP.

Vijayan alleged the stand taken by the Congress indicates it wants the votes of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) but not their flags.

"The Congress has fallen to a level where it is afraid of communal forces," he claimed during a press conference here.

Rahul Gandhi's roadshow in Wayanad on Wednesday was visibly different from that in 2019 in the constituency when green flags of ally IUML outnumbered the Congress's in the crowd. This time, both the flags were conspicuous by their absence.

Vijayan contended the flags were absent as during the last LS polls in 2019, the BJP had taken a dig at the Congress over IUML flags.

At the height of the election campaign in 2019, senior BJP leader Amit Shah had criticised Gandhi for contesting from the constituency in Kerala, and remarked that during a procession in the area, it was difficult to discern whether it was India or Pakistan, alluding to the presence of IUML's green flags during the Congress leader's roadshow.

The Marxist veteran said the Congress appears to have forgotten the history and the sacrifices behind their flag and appeared to be acceding to the Sangh Parivar wish that they relinquish their tri-colored flag.