Premachandran Slams CPI M for Criticising Rahul Gandhi, Says BJP Stays Silent

New Delhi: N K Premachandran MP has stirred controversy with remarks questioning the criticism of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, pointing out that even the BJP has not raised objections, while the CPI M alone seems to have an issue.

Speaking to the media, Premachandran referred to Rahul Gandhi’s recent foreign trip during a period when Parliament was debating bills of national significance. He asked whether it was a serious offence for the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha to travel abroad for three or four days to attend a pre-scheduled programme. He claimed that the criticism directed at Rahul Gandhi was part of an attempt to defame the Congress and the UDF and weaken the party politically.

Premachandran also noted that the BJP itself had refrained from criticising Rahul Gandhi’s absence, questioning why the CPI M alone was making it a point of contention.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly praised Premachandran, describing him as a diligent, “homework-doing” leader and a role model for others. The Prime Minister’s remarks came during an informal tea gathering at Parliament House, drawing attention in political circles.

Premachandran has also recently courted controversy over his interventions in Parliament concerning Kerala. He had raised a question in the Lok Sabha that was widely seen as an attempt to compel the Centre to intervene in the cooperative sector, allegedly aiming to disrupt the distribution of welfare pensions in the state.

On December 15, he submitted an unstarred question, numbered 2511, asking whether the Centre was aware that funds from cooperative institutions, including Kerala Bank, were being used for Kerala government schemes and what measures had been taken to recover these funds.

In another instance, Premachandran, along with Kozhikode MP M K Raghavan, asked whether rice allocations for Antyodaya Anna Yojana cardholders in Kerala would be reduced, despite the state being declared free of extreme poverty.

Critics say these interventions illustrate a pattern in which UDF MPs appear to support the Centre’s financial pressures on Kerala, even as the state government struggles with fiscal constraints.