Kozhikode: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday clarified that his criticism of Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal was directed at his political stance, not a personal attack. The chief minister had accused Sadiq Ali Thangal of aligning with the Jamaat-e-Islami, a remark that was condemned by the League leadership.

"Previously, the IUML was unwilling to cooperate with organisations such as the Jamaat-e-Islami and the SDPI for political gain. However, this has changed. My criticism was not directed at Thangal himself but at his political stance. As president of the IUML, he is responsible for the party's position on such matters," the chief minister explained.

He went on to say that while various organisations exist within the Muslim community, none of them support the Jamaat-e-Islami or the SDPI. "The opposition believes that collaborating with these groups is the way to defeat the CPM. How can we accept alliances with such terrorist organisations?" he asked. He emphasised that the focus should not be on electoral victories but on the future of the nation and the need to combat communalism.

During the inauguration of the Kozhikode South Area Committee building here, Pinarayi also praised the performance of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the recent bypolls. Despite the Congress-led UDF launching a misleading campaign against the government and allying with communal outfits to secure victory, the LDF had a strong showing, he said. The LDF secured a significant win in the Chelakkara Assembly constituency and increased its vote share in the Palakkad segment, the results of which were announced on Saturday.

"The UDF made every effort to wrest Chelakkara from us, giving it top priority during their campaign. They hoped for a major political win there. But what happened when the results were declared?" Pinarayi remarked.

Upon reviewing the overall bypoll results, the chief minister noted that the people of Kerala had strongly supported the Left government. He pointed out that the UDF candidate in Chelakkara had failed to retain her vote share compared to the previous Lok Sabha elections, whereas the LDF candidate secured a decisive victory with a significant margin.

Both the LDF and the UDF retained the Chelakkara and Palakkad Assembly seats, respectively, with comfortable margins in the bypolls. Additionally, the Congress secured a resounding victory in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.