Baby chides Rahul for ‘Pinarayi-hugging’ comment

Thrissur: CPM general secretary M A Baby hit out at Congress’s Rahul Gandhi for his reported statement that he (Rahul) wouldn’t hug Kerala opposition leader and CPM veteran

Pinarayi Vijayan

.Talking to the media on the sidelines of EMS Smrithi programme in Thrissur on Saturday, Baby said national-level functionaries should adhere to norms of propriety and decency when they issue statements on political issues.“Which party other than CPM had fought against

RSS

and other Sangh Parivar outfits at ideological and political levels so vehemently, making huge sacrifices. So, seniors like Gandhi and Mallikarjuna Kharge must leave it to their Kerala functionaries to issue such absurd statements like ‘CPM-BJP alliance’. The national brass must focus on more substantive and non-concocted issues. I’m not suggesting Rahul must hug Pinarayi; the urge to hug a person comes from the heart and it can't be done with any compulsion.

We all have seen the picture of Rahul hugging PM Modi,’’ Baby said.Baby also criticised the way Congress severed ties with

DMK

in Tamil Nadu after enjoying all the benefits of the alliance. “Congress’s crave for power prompted it to take such a step,’’ he said. CPM supported TVK after informing DMK, he added.