M.A. Baby Blasts Rahul for Bracketing CPI(M) with RSS in Kerala Speech

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary M.A. Baby on Friday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for "equating the CPI(M) with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as his ideological foes."

Speaking at the Oommen Chandy Smriti Sangamam in Puthuppally on Friday, Rahul Gandhi said he fights both the RSS and the CPI(M) ideologically, accusing them of “having no feelings for the people.”

In response, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, in a video posted on his X page, called the remark “quite unfortunate,” criticising the Leader of the Opposition for making such a comparison in a “casual and sweeping manner.”

“It is unfortunate that Mr. Gandhi made such a remark in Kerala, a state where the CPI(M) has been at the forefront of resisting the RSS both ideologically and politically,” said CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby. “Around 100 CPI(M) comrades have been killed in this struggle. I’m not sure if Mr. Gandhi is even aware of the Congress’s record in confronting the RSS in Kerala.”

He added that equating the CPI(M) with the RSS reflects “a lack of understanding” of the party’s role in Kerala and across India. “Rahul only needs to recall how Manmohan Singh could not have formed a government in 2004 without the support of the CPI(M) and other Left parties, since the Congress did not have a majority in the Lok Sabha,” he said.

Taking a swipe at Gandhi’s Kerala politics, Mr. Baby said, “It appears that the moment he steps into Kerala, he becomes a former MP from Wayanad, where his main opponent is the Left and not the RSS.”

“I hope Mr. Gandhi will be more serious when speaking against the CPI(M),” he added. “Of course, the CPI(M) can be criticised, and we’ve also been critical of the Congress, especially on economic policies. But while we criticise, we never equate the Congress with the BJP. That’s a line we do not cross.”

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