Kottayam: Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Friday came down heavily on the ongoing CPM party congress in Kannur charging that the event has just become an "anti-Congress convention" in total and the discussions progressing there was how to defeat the Congress and help the BJP.

He even charged that the state CPM is putting pressure on its central leadership to take a stand that there would be no alliance with the Congress at any cost and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan gave an assurance to the BJP in this regard.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not give sanction for the SilverLine project if the CPM stands by the Congress. Therefore, there is an understanding between the CPI(M) leaders in Kerala and the BJP-Sangh Parivar leadership at the Centre that the Marxist party will not have any alliance with the Congress," Satheesan told reporters here.

The Opposition leader alleged that Vijayan has assured the BJP leadership that no decision would be taken at the party congress to isolate the saffron party at the national level and unite the Congress and Left parties.

The Congress leader's statement came a day after the CPM offered asylum to senior Congress leader K V Thomas, who is facing expulsion threat from his party for his decision to participate in a seminar organised by the Left party in Kannur.

Welcoming Thomas' announcement, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had said the senior Congress leader would not be left in the lurch if he is expelled from the Congress.

Satheesan said the old Marxist party men were the ones who wanted to defeat the Congress by joining hands with "any devil" and their present descendants want the BJP to win even if the Congress collapses.

"The ongoing party congress of the CPM has just become an anti-Congress convention," he alleged.

When asked about Thomas' participation in the CPM seminar, he said the KPCC would take an appropriate decision on the action to be taken against him.

The senior leader has a moral responsibility to obey the party's directive, Satheesan added.

PTI