Ernakulam (Kerala) [India], March 26 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his party, calling them the "B-team" of the BJP.
He also said that the party is copying the ruling party's positions instead of learning from its own mistakes.
Kerala legislative assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23.
Addressing the press conference in Ernakulam, Kerala CM said, "Rahul Gandhi is a National leader, yet he lacks the basic awareness of even a common local worker of Congress in kerala; he simply refuses to learn from experience or mistakes. It is hard to understand how such a downfall is happening to him. Rahul Gandhi and his Congress are the 'B-team' of the BJP in the country, and yet its stance is being adopted across India."
His remark came a day after Rahul Gandhi alleged a partnership between the Left Democratic Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing Kerala's ruling CPI(M) of "dividing people."
Launching the United Democratic Alliance's (UDF) campaign for Kerala elections in Kozhikode, Rahul Gandhi alleged that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not fulfil the promise of 40 lakh jobs.
Virtually addressing the rally, he said, "There are actually only two sides fighting here in Keralam. One is the UDF alliance, and the other is the partnership between the BJP and the LDF. The UDF unites people, listens to them, and embraces and empowers them. The LDF and their hidden partner divide people and crush them."
"Modi ji promised 2 crore jobs at the national level. Keralam Chief Minister promised 40 lakh jobs in the state, and after a decade, you find that they have not given a single job to the people; in fact, they have destroyed jobs. Neither the BJP nor the LDF believe they are answerable to the people. They do not believe that the people of Keralam should be able to ask them questions," he added.