CPM leader slams Rahul for comparing party with RSS

Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary P. Shanmugam on Saturday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for equating the CPM with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Shanmugam said such a statement shows a lack of political maturity on Rahul’s part.

Taking to social media platform X, Shanmugam said, “The Congress party has a major role in uniting secular forces to fight the communal BJP-RSS alliance. Rahul Gandhi’s claim that he opposes both CPM and RSS ideologically to the same extent shows political immaturity.”

He further questioned how secularism could be protected in the country without the efforts of the CPM, which has long stood against communalism and fought for the rights of the people.

Shanmugam’s comments came after Rahul Gandhi, during a speech in Kerala’s Kottayam on Friday, said that he is ideologically against both the RSS and the CPM. He also accused both parties of lacking emotional connection with the people.

The statement has sparked criticism from Left leaders, especially as the Congress and the CPM are part of a larger opposition alliance at the national level.