Ally CPM’s mouthpiece takes a swipe at Congress over Himachal, Hindutva: ‘How could it be caught napping… fight RSS like this?’

AS THE CONGRESS faces blow after blow ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, including high-profile exits in several states and the stunning defeat of its candidate in the Rajya Sabha election from Himachal Pradesh, ally CPI(M) has now taken a potshot at it.

Speaking about the Himachal affair in particular, which also brought the Congress government to the brink, an editorial in the CPI(M) mouthpiece People’s Democracy published on Thursday says: “While one can denounce the corrupt manoeuvres of the BJP, a valid question is how the Congress could be caught napping and unaware of what was happening within its ranks. It is clear that despite the victory in the Assembly elections, the party continued to remain a divided house.”

Reiterating that the Himachal defeat should cause great concern for the Congress and its leadership, the editorial adds: “The present plight of the Congress party is exemplified by the likes of Kamal Nath. Here is a senior leader who, while helming the party in Madhya Pradesh, openly flaunted his Hindutva credentials. After the electoral debacle, he was willing to strike a deal with the BJP, but for whatever reason, it fell through. If this is the stuff Congress leaders are made of, it can never put up a firm and serious fight against the BJP-RSS.”

The editorial adds that other parties should also take a lesson from this. “Taking on the BJP requires a bold and consistent fight — ideologically and politically — against Hindutva communal forces. The Opposition parties should understand that this is an existential fight to save democracy. The forthcoming election battle must be seen as a powerful campaign against the communal-corporate regime and the danger they pose to democracy, which alone can rouse the