KOCHI: Supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami have come up with a book against CPM in the last leg of the election campaign, accusing the party of internalising and propagating the ‘Islamophobia’ of the imperialists and Sangh Parivar. The book, Islamophobic Marxism: Saffron spots on the red flag, was released on March 21, the content of which is likely to be used in the campaign against the Left in Muslim-dominated areas.
K T Hussein, its editor, said there has been a visible change in the policies of CPM. “The assertion by CPM former general secretary Prakash Karat that the BJP rule at the Centre cannot be termed fascist and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s initiative for a ceasefire with RSS can be considered as the basis of the change happening in the party,” Hussein, who is the assistant director of the Islamic Publishing House, a firm of the Jamaat, said. He said the Sharia controversy in 1985 was a decisive moment in CPM’s history regarding its relationship with Muslims. “It was after this that CPM realised the importance of protecting the Hindu vote bank,” he said.
Hussein said CPM intellectuals such as K E N Kunjahammed and P K Pokker had a different perception on Muslim issues and Marxism, which was reflected in KEN’s book ‘Erakalude Manifesto’ and Pokker’s book on Mamburam Thangal. “Pinarayi was the supporter of the line and V S Achuthanandan was on the other side. It was V S who first mentioned the issue of ‘Love jihad’ in Kerala,” he said.
CPM’s stand on the Jamaat underwent a sea change when the views of writer Hameed Chennamangaloor, the bitterest critics of Jamaat, got an upper hand in the party. Jamaat alleges that CPM discarded even the balancing act of considering both majority and minority communalism as equal and completely aligned with the Sangh Parivar.
In his article in the book, Hussein said CPM’s prime aim is to demolish the vote bank of Congress, the base of which are Muslims and Christians. “The LDF hopes it can ensure continuity of the government if this task is accomplished. However, the danger is that if such a thing happens, BJP will become the major opposition in Kerala after the disappearance of UDF,” he said.
Hussein alleged that CPM had tried to break the unity of Muslim organisations during the struggle against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). “It was CPM which first said extremists have infiltrated the anti-CAA agitation. This was later picked up by Sangh Parivar,” he said.
The immediate provocation behind the Jamaat project was another book by CPM leader K T Kunhikannan, which is a vehement attack on the Jamaat. In his article, T Muhammad Velam says Kunhikannan’s book has exposed the bankruptcy of CPM in dealing with the Jamaat. The party doesn’t have any methodology to study the Jamaat other than the ones provided by capitalism and fascism.
The book has included an online post by Left activist Dr Azad which said CPM, of late, is spending more energy on handling the Welfare Party and Muslims League than dealing with RSS and BJP. Other contributors in the book include O Abdurehman, CPI (ML) leader P J James, T K M Iqbal, Samad Kunnakkavu, V A Kabeer and P I Noushad.