'Congress' credibility in fighting PM Modi...': CPIM spars with ally as Rahul Gandhi seeks arrest of Kerala CM

CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Sunday the Congress' "credibility" in fighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi "is under under cloud". He hit out at the grand-old party for over Rahul Gandhi's statement against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Earlier this week, Gandhi had asked why is the BJP not attacking the CM of Kerala when when two other chief ministers from opposition are behind bars.

"Two chief ministers (Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren) are in jail. I am attacking the BJP 24/7, and the Chief Minister of Kerala is attacking me 24/7. This is a bit puzzling," Rahul Gandhi had said.

Reacting to Gandhi's statement, Yechury told news agency ANI, “Their credibility in fighting PM Modi is under under cloud...I go by policies and programs and what are they raising? If they are asking PM Modi to arrest the Kerala Chief Minister then I think that is the most undemocratic act that is being done...,"

He said the criticism against Kerala CM are completely unfounded. "We think it is very wrong for anybody to demand the arrest of a democratically elected Chief Minister. We have condemned the arrest of Delhi CM Kejriwal and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren," he added.

Congress leaders alleged that there is a backdoor understanding between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the BJP.

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier reacted to Gandhi's statement , "Don't scare me by saying the word jail. It was your grandmother who put us in jail during her supreme rule. For 1.5 years, I was in jail. We are not scared like your Ashok Chavan..."

CPI(M) leader wrote to the wife of former Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM executive president Hemant Soren - Kalpana Soren and expresses regret for