Election 2019: Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Kerala's Wayanad drew sharp criticism from CPM
Kerala's former chief minister and senior CPM leader VS Achuthanandan on Monday said his attack from 2011 calling Congress chief Rahul Gandhi an "Amul Baby", referring to the national dairy brand's mascot, was still "relevant". Mr Gandhi's decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections from a second seat, from Kerala's Wayanad, drew sharp criticism from the CPM. The CPM, which has backed a national alliance that includes the Congress to take on the BJP, is a bitter rival of the Congress in Kerala, and has pledged to "ensure the defeat of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad."
Mr Achuthanandan, in a Facebook post, scolded Mr Gandhi for "his attitude of approaching situations without understanding them", news agency ANI reported.
Mr Achuthanandan had attacked Mr Gandhi in 2011 for campaigning for his party, calling Congress workers Mr Gandhi's "Amul Babies" as well.
On Monday, the senior left leader said in his Facebook post that despite reaching middle age, Mr Gandhi's "childishness continues."
The Congress chief had in 2011 attacked Mr Achuthanandan, who was then Kerala's chief minister, for his advancing age. He had said that if the Left Front received another mandate, it would have a 93-year-old chief minister in five years' time.
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: VS Achuthanandan rued the Congress' decision of not "joining hands with secular forces" and also criticised the party's decision to not ally with the AAP in Delhi and in the south (File Photo)
The dairy brand, known for its catchy ad campaigns, had capitalized on the situation and come up with a witty advertisement showing Mr Achuthanandan, sitting on an amusement park bumper car and pointing at Mr Gandhi, also sitting on a bumper car with Amul's mascot. The tag line of the ad read, "They are both Amul babies!"
"I did not call him like that without a reason. I did it because of the childishness that Rahul Gandhi showed in politics. And today, with Rahul Gandhi deciding to contest from Wayanad, that statement is still relevant," said the senior left leader on Facebook, news agency IANS reported.
Mr Achuthanandan rued the Congress' decision of not "joining hands with secular forces" and also criticised the party's decision to not ally with the AAP in Delhi and in the south.
"In other words, it's like cutting the branch of the tree on which one is sitting. Hence I feel that what I said about him years back is still relevant," Mr Achuthanandan said, according to IANS.
(With Inputs From ANI And IANS)