AICC General Secretary Sachin Pilot addresses a press conference ahead of the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections at the Kochi DCC office in Ernakulam district, Kerala on March 26, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Sachin Pilot said that the campaign against Rahul Gandhi by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leaders is to please the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The allegations against Mr. Gandhi are part of a deal between the BJP and the CPI(M), he alleged.
Addressing the media here, Mr. Pilot said that the Chief Minister, who has not said anything against the BJP, keeps leveling allegations against Mr. Gandhi. “The CPI(M) has nothing to say against the central government’s oil and foreign policies. The chief minister is reluctant to criticize the Center on the cooking gas shortage issue,” he said.
Those who voted for the LDF during the last two terms are now disappointed, he said. Ninety-five percent of government revenue is used to pay interest on loans. The LDF government has not been able to bring even a single big industry to the state in the last 10 years, he said.
Mr. Pilot also asked whether the BJP government had ever frozen the bank accounts of the CPI(M) or taken any action against its leaders till date. “Central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department, harassed Congress leaders including Mr. Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. But they did not question CPI(M) leaders who are facing serious charges. This is the biggest example of collusion between BJP and CPI(M) leaders,” he said, adding that the BJP(M) is protecting the corrupt.
He said the Chief Electoral Officer’s explanation for the BJP seal in the Election Commission of India’s letter was not satisfactory and that it had raised further doubts.
Published – 27 Mar 2026 0:29 IST
