THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress in Kerala finds itself in a fix with its UDF allies as well as influential Muslim bodies in the state raising a red flag over the party accepting the invite to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Congress leaders from the Hindi heartland are reportedly in favour of the top leaders attending the function scheduled for January 22, 2024.
With the Muslim League and the CMP warning the party against attending the function, the Congress state leadership is at pains to explain that it’s not in their hands and that any decision should be taken by the party's high command.
Adding to the Congress’ woes, the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, which wields substantial influence among Sunni Muslims in the state, has refused to mince words, telling the grand old party that it was its “soft Hindutva stand” that was the cause of its current predicament.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece Suprabhatham, Samastha said, “The Congress should show the political wisdom not to repeat its failed soft Hindutva theory, which it had experimented with in Gujarat.
Let AICC leadership take call on invite: Satheesan
The mouthpiece of Samastha added: “It should not bury its head in the sand like an ostrich. Rather it should make its stance clear on taking part in the temple ceremony.” Worse still for the Congress, the editorial lauded the stand taken by CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who rejected the invite outright.
The state Congress has requested the national leadership not to take any decision that could affect its prospects in Kerala in the coming Lok Sabha election.
“The invitation was sent to the AICC leadership. They have not yet made a decision. Let them make a decision. We’ll talk after that,” Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan told TNIE.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala also toed Satheesan’s line. “Once the leadership takes a decision (on whether or not to attend the ceremony), we’ll abide by it,” he told TNIE.
Congress national general secretary K C Venugopal welcomed the invitation and said, “We are very much thankful to them for inviting us. Let us see.” Muslim League general secretary PMA Salam said there was no need for the League to pressurize Congress on the issue.
“The League wants a peaceful situation. We do not want any explosive situation in the country,” he said. However, UDF secretary and CMP general secretary C P John warned the Congress that if it decides to attend the ceremony, “it will be suicidal for the UDF in Kerala. Rama Janama Bhumi is the new wedge to break the INDIA alliance. Ram temple is the political weapon of the BJP in the coming Parliament election,” he said,” he said.
Jamat-e-Islami state ameer P Mujeeb Rahman said the Congress “cannot take for granted the Muslims in Kerala.”
“Congress has been adopting different stances in the south and north of India. It should understand that fighting hard Hindutva with soft Hindutva will only benefit the Sangh Parivar,” he told TNIE.
Meanwhile, Congress state leadership is keen to put to rest the controversy over the issue. KPCC vice-president V T Balaram rightly summed up the party’s predicament.
“The BJP wants Congress not to participate (in the consecration ceremony) so that they can cash in on Hindu votes, while the CPM wants us to participate so that they can attract Muslim minority votes (in Kerala),” he said.