BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday criticized the Congress for accepting the support of the Welfare Party, the political arm of Jamaat-e-Islami, for its candidate in the Nilambur by-poll.

Chandrasekhar questioned Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, who is campaigning for the Congress candidate in the Nilambur by-election, asking how she, who publicly holds up the Constitution, could accept support from Jamaat-e-Islami, an organization that allegedly does not recognize the Constitution of India.

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The BJP Kerala chief posed the following questions to Priyanka Gandhi:

1. When you openly accept support from Jamaat-e-Islami, which stands against the integrity of the nation, why do you and your brother continue to project yourselves as champions of the Constitution?

2. Do you not agree with former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s assessment that Jamaat-e-Islami is the “most dangerous organization”?

3. How do you justify this duplicity — professing love and tolerance while aligning with an organization that offered prayers for Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru and supports Hamas terrorism?

Chandrasekhar warned that bringing Jamaat-e-Islami and the Popular Front of India (PFI) into mainstream politics would not only derail development but also disrupt the peace of the country.

The Welfare Party’s support for the Congress-led United Democratic Front in the June 19 by-poll for Nilambur Assembly seat in Malappuram has sparked controversy in Kerala.