Rahul Gandhi’s Remarks 'Equating' RSS And CPI(M) Ignite Tension Within INDI Alliance—All You Need To Know

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent comment equating the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has triggered discomfort among Congress' INDI Alliance allies, especially the Left parties, India Today reported .

The statement, made during a memorial event in Kottayam, Kerala, was flagged as inappropriate and potentially divisive during a virtual INDI alliance meeting on Saturday (19 July).

While addressing a memorial meeting to mark the second death anniversary of former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on Friday (18 July), Gandhi said he fights both the RSS and the CPI(M) ideologically, but his main complaint against them is their lack of "feelings" for the people.

“I fight them in the realm of ideas and in the realm of speech. But my biggest complaint is that they do not have feelings for the people," Gandhi said, as quoted by India Today.

"If you are in politics, feel what people are thinking, listen to them, and touch them. The real tragedy in Indian politics today is that very few people are actually feeling what others are feeling," he added.

This statement didn’t sit well with INDI alliance members.

CPI leader D Raja reportedly raised the issue in the virtual alliance meeting, cautioning against remarks that could confuse party workers and weaken the unity of the coalition.

A second leader present in the meeting reportedly reminded participants that the alliance began with the shared slogan “Desh Bachaao, BJP Hataao”, and that no one should make statements that foster conflict within the bloc or draw comparisons between the Left and the RSS.

CPI(M) Politburo member MS Baby criticised Gandhi's remarks in a video on X, calling them “unfortunate” and a reflection of his lack of understanding of Kerala’s political realities.

In a video statement posted on X, he noted that Gandhi contested the Wayanad seat, where the BJP isn’t a significant player, against a CPI candidate, and reminded him that Congress had once relied on Left support to form the UPA government in 2004.

"The very fact that he in a way equated the CPI(M) and RSS betrays the absence of a correct understanding of the role of CPI(M) and RSS in Kerala or India," Baby said.

“We will make independent criticisms, but never equate Congress with BJP or RSS,” Baby asserted, clarifying that the Left’s criticisms of Congress were always in a “friendly manner.”

He added, "So, it was quite unfortunate that, in a very casual and sweeping manner, Mr. Rahul Gandhi put CPI(M) and RSS together as his ideological enemies. People can reflect upon it."

While the Congress and CPI(M) are both members of the INDI Alliance nationally, they remain political rivals in Kerala—where the Congress-led United Democratic Front and CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front contest directly against each other.

This local rivalry continues to strain broader coalition dynamics, especially when statements blur ideological lines.

Despite the tensions, alliance partners resolved to unite over key national issues in the upcoming Monsoon Session.

These include the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, and opposition to the Election Commission’s special voter roll revision in Bihar.

A protest march to Jantar Mantar on 23-24 July 23–24 is also being planned.

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