Thiruvananthapuram, October 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary M.A. Baby’s defence of Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visit has given the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fresh ammunition to revive its long-standing criticism of the Congress and the Left, bitter political rivals in Kerala but allies at the national level.
On Tuesday, Baby dismissed the BJP’s campaign against Rahul Gandhi’s overseas travel as an attempt to create confusion. Countering the criticism, he pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits, arguing that the Prime Minister had travelled abroad more often than he had visited Indian states.
Baby also accused Modi of travelling overseas even when Manipur was witnessing unrest.
More significantly, the CPI-M general secretary cautioned against making statements that could undermine the united protests organised by the INDIA bloc. He said the opposition alliance was jointly leading the protests and that every party had the right to decide how it wanted to conduct its agitation.
While Baby’s remarks were intended to defend the national opposition alliance against the BJP, they have also revived a familiar political slogan that has repeatedly featured in Kerala’s electoral battles.
Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, during his years as a BJP leader, frequently used the phrase “Gusthi in Kerala, Dhosthi in Delhi” to highlight the apparent contradiction between the Congress and the CPI-M.
The Malayalam expression, meaning “wrestling in Kerala, friendship in Delhi”, became a recurring BJP attack line against the two parties.
The political argument stems from Kerala’s electoral landscape, where the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) are the principal contenders for power. Their leaders routinely attack each other during Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, even as both parties remain part of the INDIA bloc at the national level in their effort to oppose the BJP.
The BJP has repeatedly used visits by its national leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, to Kerala during election campaigns to highlight this contrast and question the credibility of the Congress and the Left.
Baby’s latest remarks do not signal any change in the CPI-M’s political position in Kerala. However, his emphasis on preserving the unity of the national opposition has given the BJP another opportunity to argue that national-level political compulsions often take precedence over the bitter rivalry between the two parties in the state.
With the BJP seeking to expand its political footprint in Kerala, the issue has gained renewed significance. The BJP has secured one Lok Sabha seat and three Assembly seats in the state, strengthening its efforts to challenge the traditional political fronts.
On Tuesday, Kerala BJP president and legislator Rajeev Chandrasekhar targeted the Congress and the CPI-M, accusing the traditional rivals of engaging in “underhand dealings” intended to help each other.
For the Congress and the Left, the challenge remains to maintain cooperation at the national level without allowing the BJP to turn their alliance into an electoral liability in Kerala.
FOLLOW NOW
