Malappuram: CPM, the leading party in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, has taken a shocking U-turn in its position towards PDP (People’s Democratic Party) and Jamaat-e-Islami.
In fact, the hardening of its stand against these organisations reveals that CPM’s political experiment to weaken the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) utilising them has failed. Moreover, there is a stark irony in CPM’s present statements accusing Jamaat-e-Islami as a terror organisation, as the party had maintained political ties with it for a long time.
“The Muslim League is supporting the communalism of Jamaat-e-Islami and PDP, who are demanding the creation of an Islamic state in the country. The recent elections have proved that the ideology of these organisations has usurped the Muslim League’s secularism,” said CPM state secretary M V Govindan.
However, the PDP led by firebrand orator Abdul Nasser Madani and the Jamaat-e-Islami were major allies of the CPM in its plan to gain influence in the Malabar area by weakening the Muslim League after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.
In fact, the CPM had engaged in open electoral alliances with them on several occasions. The CPM’s party newspaper ‘Desabhimani’ even published an editorial congratulating the Jamaat-e-Islami for its decision to support the Left Front in the Assembly elections in 1996. The editorial claimed that Jamaat-e-Islami’s support of the LDF had strengthened secular forces.
There was severe discontent in the Muslim League over continuing its alliance with the Congress after the masjid demolition. The Jamaat-e-Islami supported the dissidents led by Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait. Later, it backed K T Jaleel when he left the IUML. These moves by Jamaat-e-Islami ultimately helped the CPM.
“It was the CPM that tried to help PDP gain political influence and make it an alternative to the IUML. We don’t consider Jamaat-e-Islami a terror organisation. They helped us during the recent elections. The CPM also has openly accepted their support. IUML never had any ties with the SDPI,” said E T Muhammed Basheer, all-India organising secretary of the IUML.
Before forming its own political wing, the Welfare Party, in 2011, Jamaat-e-Islami used to announce its support for either LDF or the Congress-led UDF (United Democratic Front) before every election in Kerala, and LDF was preferred during most elections.
Similarly, the LDF fielded Dr Hussain Randathani from Ponnani as a Left Independent candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha election, where he had the support of the PDP. The CPM took Ponnani from the CPI despite strong objections. In fact, the CPI had been contesting from the seat since 1984. Moreover, Pinarayi Vijayan, the then CPM state secretary, shared the dais with PDP chairman Madani during a campaign meeting in Ponnani.
Madani and his PDP also campaigned for the LDF candidate during the Lok Sabha byelection in Ottappalam 1993. PDP was responsible for defeating the UDF candidate M P Abdussamad Samadani in the Guruvayur Assembly bypoll in 1994. The LDF candidate was P T Kunhumuhammed, who contested as a CPM Independent and PDP fielded K A Hassan.
Madani engaged in a vigorous campaign, and the PDP candidate polled 14,354 votes. The Muslim League had won the seat for decades, but in 1994, its candidate lost by 2052 votes, clearly showing that the PDP had attracted Muslim League supporters and ensured the victory of the LDF.
