Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday asked the Congress whether it had abandoned its own and ally IUML’s party flags during the roadshow to the Wayanad collectorate on Wednesday for submitting Rahul Gandhi’s nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections out of BJP’s fear.

“Has the Congress declined to a position where it is even afraid of displaying its flag? Are they conceding to the demand of the Sangh Parivar that the Congress should relinquish its party flag?” Vijayan asked at a press conference in Kochi on Thursday.

Advertisement

He asked whether the decision to drop the IUML flags was taken in view of the Pakistan jibe by the BJP while referring to the presence of the party’s green flags during Rahul Gandhi’s campaign in Wayanad as part of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

Speaking on abandoning party flags in the roadshow, he said that the Congress needs the votes of the IUML, not its flag.

CM Vijayan said Congress leaders seem to have forgotten the illustrious history of the freedom fighters and martyrs who had fought to hold the tri-colour high.

Responding to reports that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has plans to implicate more CPI-M leaders in the multi-crore Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam, CM Vijayan said the party has no secret account in the bank as alleged by the ED.

“We do not require any secret account as the party has never received black money. The donations received by the party from the people are audited and duly submitted before the Income Tax department,” he said.

The Congress abandoned the party flags of all UDF constituents when it took out a massive roadshow to the Wayanad district collectorate on Wednesday to submit Rahul Gandhi’s nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections.

The extensive use of key ally Muslim League’s green flags during Rahul’s 2019 roadshow was played up by the BJP at the national level, with senior leaders like Amit Shah wondering whether he was seeking votes in Pakistan, crushing the hopes of the Congress in north India. Instead of flags, tricoloured balloons, hats, and placards were part of Wednesday’s roadshow.