CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam on Saturday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for equating the Marxist party with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stating that such a comparison reflected a lack of political maturity.

In a post on social media platform X, Shanmugam said, “The Congress party bears a significant responsibility to unite secular forces against the communal BJP-RSS combine. Rahul Gandhi’s remark that he opposes both the CPM and RSS ideologically to the same extent reveals his lack of maturity.” The Left leader questioned whether it was possible to safeguard secularism in the country without the contributions of the CPM.

Shanmugam’s remarks came as Rahul Gandhi, speaking in Kerala's Kottayam on Friday, said that he fights against the RSS and the CPM ideologically, but his biggest complaint about them was their lack of feelings for the people.