KOZHIKODE: The continued disenchantment of the Muslim community with the CPM is set to be one of the crucial factors in deciding the electoral fortunes of the LDF government, which is seeking a third consecutive term. The mounting ire of the community was seen as the prime reason for LDF’s dismal performance in the Lok Sabha and local body elections.
Though a bit late, CPM seems to have realised the danger of alienating the Muslim community. While it is not clear whether there is any direction from the leadership, controversial CPM leaders such as A Vijayaraghavan and A K Balan are now silent on the “dangers of Muslim extremism”. There is a feeling among party supporters that some of the off-the-cuff remarks from these leaders infuriated even the section of the community that supported CPM for decades.
CPM has been targeting the Jama’at-e-Islami for a long time, pointing out the dangers of its ideology of a theocratic state. Now, there is a feeling that the ‘overdose’ of Jama’at bashing proved counterproductive, and only helped Jama’at propagandists and IUML thinktanks to drum up the campaign that the CPM is basically anti-Muslim. The narrative built by these groups heavily influenced the Muslim community, which saw CPM as a ‘B’ team of BJP.
Certain overtures from CPM in the past few weeks could be seen as a kind of a damage-control exercise. Mukkam Umar Faizy, the secretary of the Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, who is close to the CPM leadership, was made a member of the Kerala State Waqf Board. K S Hamza, another Samastha sympathiser, has been appointed the chairman of the Waqf Board. The Unani Medical College run by the Sunni faction led Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar was granted aided status recently.
It remains to be seen whether these gestures will help in regaining the confidence of the community or end up as a cosmetic exercise. In the background of the Iran-US war, the CPM had organised programmes against ‘US imperialism’. But that move did not get much traction from the community.
At the same time, the Union government’s refusal to invite Public Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas to the inauguration of the widened NH 66 was a blessing in disguise for CPM to regain its anti-BJP face. CPM leaders were quick to realise the potential of the opportunity and blasted the BJP-led government for “insulting Kerala” and for violating federal principles. The CPM organised parallel inaugurations at various places as a reply to the Centre’s neglect. Muslim organisations, among others, stood with the party in what is perceived as a fight against the violation of federal principles.
CPM’s decision to withdraw from unleashing tirades against the Jama’at and to focus more on development issues has paid dividends. And the party and its allies are paying more attention to make people understand the significance of giving LDF a third chance to continue the development activities pursued by the government. The narrative that Muslims will take control of everything if UDF comes to power seems to have taken the backstage.
One of the visible impacts of this changed tactic is the stand adopted by the SDPI, which refused to buy the Jama’at-IUML theory that the Pinarayi government is anti-Muslim. Its state president C P A Latheef said there is no anti-incumbency feeling against the government and even congratulated it for introducing nativity cards, which the SDPI sees as a resistance against BJP’s stand on the issue of citizenship.
This does not mean that all is fine with the CPM vis-a-vis the Muslim community. The mistrust the community nurtures about the party is deeper and a single thoughtless move from the CPM could bring everything back to square one.