CPM Leader Levels Explosive Allegations of Congress Seat-Selling in Kerala
In a fiery press conference held in Kochi on Wednesday, CPM state secretariat member M Swaraj launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing it of engaging in widespread seat-selling practices across Kerala. Drawing parallels with controversies in Haryana and Bihar, Swaraj painted a picture of systemic corruption within the opposition party.
"Congress Has Become a Party That Sells Seats"
Swaraj presented detailed allegations, claiming that individuals who secured Congress nominations through financial deals began their political activities as early as two years before elections. "They started campaigning as Congress candidates two years ago and even began residing in their constituencies by renting houses," he stated, emphasizing that these early moves were funded by substantial monetary investments.
The CPM leader pointed to what he called clear evidence of seat transactions. "The large sums of money being spent from the very beginning is proof that these seats were secured through financial arrangements," Swaraj asserted during the news conference.
Connections to Haryana Scandal and Local Examples
Swaraj directly implicated several senior Congress figures in the Haryana seat scandal, specifically naming Priyanka Gandhi, K C Venugopal, and Kodikunnil Suresh. He posed a pointed question: "If these allegations were false, why did Priyanka Gandhi and Venugopal replace their personal assistants? This amounts to an open admission of guilt."
The CPM leader provided a local Kerala example to bolster his claims. "In Thrissur, a candidate who won four consecutive times as a Congress representative was denied the mayor position because he refused to make payments," Swaraj revealed. "Meanwhile, someone who actively distributed money bags secured the position. This demonstrates how Congress has transformed into a party that sells seats from the panchayat level all the way up to Parliament."
Broader Allegations of Corruption and Communalism
Swaraj escalated his criticism by labeling Congress as "a national party of thieves" and connected the alleged Wayanad fraud to what he described as an established culture within the party.
Contrasting his party's position, Swaraj emphasized that "CPM and the Left Democratic Front maintain a firm stance against seeking support from any communal forces and actively oppose all forms of communalism."
He specifically addressed the political dynamics in Nemom, where he stated the competition is squarely against the BJP. "A section of Congress supporters will vote for LDF in that constituency," he predicted, while recalling past electoral alliances.
Swaraj reminded journalists that "during the last Lok Sabha election and the Palakkad by-election, the Social Democratic Party of India extended its support to the United Democratic Front." He concluded with a sharp rebuke of Congress leader V D Satheesan: "Someone who maintains understandings with both Jamaat-e-Islami and the RSS has no moral authority to speak about secularism."
The allegations represent a significant escalation in political rhetoric ahead of upcoming elections, with Swaraj presenting what he claims is a pattern of corruption that spans multiple states and levels of government.
