Kochi: A senior CPI-M leader, who is also the chief editor of Malayalam daily and party organ ‘Deshabhimani’, Saturday slammed former Defence Minister and Congress veteran A.K. Antony for being silent against the BJP, but taking time to attack the left party.
Former Rajya Sabha member and senior CPI-M leader P. Rajeev took to his Facebook account to vent his anger against Antony, who earlier this week had taken up the cudgels against the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI-M, after two of its leaders were arrested for stabbing their fellow student at the famed University College in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Antony held a press conference to attack the SFI, which I will not question as it’s his right. But what really upset us is that Antony has not held a single press meet to attack the BJP who are playing havoc in Karnataka and Goa, nor has he uttered a word about the killings in the name of cows,” said Rajeev.
Rajeev went on to point out that Antony, a seasoned parliamentarian in the Upper House, sits in a chair that will allow him to speak the moment he gets up, considering his stature and seniority.
“Despite holding him in high regards, I am forced to ask a question, has Antony ever stood up to speak against the BJP? Data available in the Upper House show that Antony has taken part in just 11 debates, while the average number is 125 for a Rajya Sabha (RS) member from Kerala.
“Moreover, Antony has not asked even a single question, while the average for a Kerala RS member is 690. Incidentally, this performance by Antony comes at a time when he has one of the highest attendance in the House,” Rajeev said.
“All this shows that Antony, who was one of the founding members of the student wing of the Congress party, continues to harbour a very strong anti-CPI-M feeling and that’s what showed up when he held the press meet against the SFI,” added Rajeev, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls from Ernakulam, losing to sitting Congress legislator Hibi Eden by over 1.69 lakh votes.