Lunch with Modi triggers allegations of 'Congress and BJP nexus' in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Participation of RSP MP from Kerala, N K Premachandran, for a lunch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday is being used by the CPM in Kerala to allege of nexus between the BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) as RSP is a coalition partner of the Congress.

Left Democratic Front convenor E P Jayarajan said that the tactical understanding between the UDF and the BJP was evident with the RSP MP's participation in the lunch hosted by Modi.

CPM supporters have also unleashed a social media campaign that Premachandran was on his way to BJP-RSS, an allegation that has been doing the rounds for quite some time.

Premachandran alleged that the CPM was making futile attempts to create cracks in the minority vote banks of Kollam Lok Sabha constituency being represented by him. He told the media that the invitation for lunch came as a surprise and no politics was discussed.

He said that he got a message from the PMO that Modi wanted to meet him. Hence he went to Modi's office in the Parliament. "Modi invited us for lunch and led eight of us to the canteen with a witty remark that he was going to punish us," Premachandran said.

He also added that it was after the lunch meeting only that he spoke in the Lok Sabha, moving the motion criticising the Centre on the 'White paper on Indian economy'.

Congress leaders have backed Premachandran. Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that there was nothing wrong in Premachandran joining the prime minister for lunch as opposition leaders often attend meetings called by the chief minister. He also alleged that the CPM in Kerala was trying to create communal polarisation aimed at elections just like the BJP. Congress senior leader K Muraleedharan said that the CPM was trying to cover up its nexus with BJP by raising baseless allegations against the UDF MP.