Pinarayi accuses IUML of aligning with communal forces to defeat communists

Kozhikode(Kerala) | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday attacked the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) by accusing it of aligning itself with communal and terror groups, allegedly like the Jamaat-e-Islami, in its eagerness to defeat the communist movement.

Defending the IUML, a key ally of the opposition Congress, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran accused the CM of ostracising minority organisations to strengthen his ties with the RSS.

Earlier in the day, Vijayan, after releasing a book -- 'Keralam: Muslim Rashtreeyam - Rashtreeya Islam' -- by CPI(M) state committee member P Jayarajan, said the IUML does not hesitate to join forces with communal and terror movements to work against communists in the state.

"A great danger posed by the League (IUML) is that in its eagerness to defeat the communists, it joins forces with the SDPI, Jamaat-e-Islami and any other communal terrorist organisation," he said in his speech.

Vijayan said that such acts by the League gives credence to terror and communal groups and would lead to the ranks of the IUML falling under the influence of such organisations.

"Such alliances would also lead to the League becoming irrelevant and make it easier for the Sangh Parivar to strengthen religious polarisation in the state," he claimed.

He said that the IUML should declare it will not cooperate with religious extremists or terror groups, but it is unable to do so.

Throwing his weight behind the Congress ally, Sudhakaran hit back at Vijayan by accusing him of ostracising minority organisations like the IUML to appease the RSS and the Sangh Parivar leadership.

The KPCC chief alleged that the CPI(M) and the CM were friends with the Jamaat-e-Islami for four decades and had also entered into an alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abdul Nazer Mahdani.

The Left party had also worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the Jamaat and the SDPI -- the political wing of the banned organisation Popular Front of India -- in various elections, he claimed.

Sudhakaran contended that Vijayan was now rejecting them to satisfy the Sangh Parivar and that the CPI(M) claims to be secular only for political gains.

The KPCC chief said that this new strategy was being adopted by the CPI(M) based on the belief that votes of its party cadres and supporters went to the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

He charged the Left party with consciously trying to stir up religious sentiments to overcome the political crisis it was facing and said that the CM's remarks about Malappuram district were part of that.

"It was the CM who tried to portray Malappuram district as a hub for hawala and gold smuggling. He also sought the help of PR agencies for that," he added.

Sudhakaran said that the IUML has a proud history of seven and a half years of upholding constitutional values and the contributions by its leaders to the all-round development of Kerala are unforgettable and do not need a certificate from the CM.

The KPCC chief was responding to Vijayan's remarks accusing the League of spreading baseless propaganda about Malappuram and defaming the district.

He said that the IUML has launched a massive campaign accusing the LDF of singling out and maliging the Malappuram district, but it is the League which was defaming the district.

"No one has said anywhere that there are more cases in Malappuram district. There is no such thing in any official document. Not only that, Malappuram is in the list of districts with relatively least crime.

"The League is misleading the people with political malice by spreading falsehoods," the CM alleged.

Vijayan said the number of FIRs registered in Malappuram district in 2023 was 42,676 which was much less than the over a lakh FIRs registered in Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram districts in the same year.

The CM also said that if there is a complaint, a case has to be registered, otherwise the rule of law will collapse.

He further said that cases are registered against the perpetrators of a crime and not against any district or its people.