Thiruvananthapuram | Under attack from the CPI(M) and the BJP over its alleged electoral understanding with the Jamaat-e-Islami in poll-bound Kerala, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said his party did not need to be lectured on nationalism and reminded them of the role played by Indira Gandhi in dividing Pakistan in 1971.

In an interview with PTI, Pilot, who is the senior AICC observer for Kerala, where elections will be held in a couple of months, also asserted that the Congress is a secular party and that the Constitution of India is the most sacrosanct document in which it believes.

The Congress leader said that every religion and every community has equal rights, that there is no favouritism, and that the Congress has always sought votes in the name of development and work, drawing on its long history of the freedom struggle and of keeping the country together.

He was reacting to a query over accusations by the ruling LDF and the BJP that the Congress is in alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami, which it claims does not adhere to secular principles, especially in light of a recent public statement by the Jamaat leadership expressing its continued commitment to the idea of an Islamic republic.

"Do not forget that it was Indira Gandhi who broke Pakistan into two, so on nationalism and patriotism we do not need to be lectured by anybody else, but the Congress has always had secular credentials, and I am proud to say that," Pilot said.

He said that one need only look at the BJP, which he alleged decides to give tickets in certain states by excluding some religions, arguing that this is not secularism and that the party adopts different positions in different states depending on what it finds suitable and conducive.

"The Congress has remained the same throughout its long history; we have upheld our ideals and ideology, we stand by them, and we will not compromise on our secular values. We will bring like-minded parties together, and the UDF is a very strong alliance in Kerala," the Congress leader from Rajasthan said.

His statement comes as the Congress has come under sharp attack from both the CPI(M) and the BJP, who accuse it of having an electoral understanding with the Jamaat-e-Islami, alleging that the link undermines the party's claim to secular credentials.

Asked how the Supreme Court's decision to review the Sabarimala women's entry verdict by constituting a nine-member Constitution Bench would affect the forthcoming elections, Pilot said he did not wish to comment on the court's observations or judgments but alleged that the state government's intentions in the alleged "gold theft case" from the hill shrine were not noble.

"There is an allegation that some people close to the ruling party were involved in some sort of events. So I don't want to comment on it, but I think the state government has not pursued the matter as transparently as it should have," he said.

Asked about the Sabarimala gold theft issue and the questioning of UDF convener Adoor Prakash by the SIT functioning under the High Court, Pilot said anyone involved in any wrongdoing must be held accountable, regardless of how high or powerful the person may be.

The Congress leader added that despite being in power for 10 years, the state government had not done enough to assist the SIT in getting to the bottom of the case.

Targeting CPI(M), he further alleged that there had been instances of corruption in Kannur district, where funds meant for a martyr's family were allegedly siphoned off by someone close to the ruling party.

He claimed that a ruling party MLA had been named in connection with the allegations.

According to him, these incidents reflected the broader symptoms of corruption, nepotism and administrative mismanagement within the government.

Despite propaganda, advertisements and publicity, people had made up their minds that such governance needed to be voted out, the Congress leader said.

Responding to former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's controversial remarks that Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government will return to power in Kerala, Pilot said Aiyar was no longer part of the Congress, having been suspended earlier, and therefore there was no reason to comment on his personal opinion.

He also claimed that the people of Kerala had already decided to vote for the Congress-led UDF.

Responding to a question on candidate selection for the Assembly polls, Pilot said the party was united in backing the most winnable candidates and that the Congress continued its tradition of promoting younger leaders to positions of responsibility.

He said winnability, a clean image and broad acceptability would be the key factors in deciding candidates.

Pilot said the Congress screening committee, led by Madhusudan Mistry, were working on the process.

He added that the final decisions would be announced soon based on constituency-level feedback.

Pilot said that data showed that the CPI(M)-led LDF was heading towards electoral defeat, citing the UDF's victory in 18 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala and its success in winning 54 per cent of local bodies as a clear indication that a UDF government would come to power.

He further said that Kerala's fiscal situation was extremely alarming, claiming that nearly 98 per cent of the state's borrowings were being used to service existing debt, leading to delays in payments to beneficiaries and government employees, weak investment inflows and one of the lowest levels of capital expenditure among major states in the country.