KOTTAYAM: In a scathing attack on the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the UDF, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday asserted that the coalition has stooped to a level where its decisions are deeply influenced by external communal forces such as the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). He was inaugurating a public meeting held as part of the conclusion of the CPM Kottayam district conference at Pampady, Kottayam.
The UDF can take decisions only after satisfying these organisations, Pinarayi said. “The IUML has gradually become subservient to Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI, despite the rejection of these factions by the majority of Muslims.” This, he warned, could lead to further interference in the party’s affairs by Jamaat and SDPI.
Pinarayi remarked that when UDF won the Palakkad by-election, it was SDPI that celebrated first. He criticised IUML for being driven by a desire to secure seats, which prevents them from reverting to their previous stance. He urged secular and democratic forces to reflect on the implications of these alliances and the potential consequences for the future.
Furthermore, the CM cautioned against the “dangerous game of communal politics”, noting that both majority and minority communalism contribute to the problem. He stressed that communalism poses a significant threat to the nation, with majority communalism being particularly concerning. “Communalism does not augur well for the nation. One kind of communalism promotes another,” he said.
Pinarayi also warned against BJP leaders’ attempts to reach out to Christian voters by pointing to attacks and riots in various parts of the country, including Manipur. “Now they are trying to create issues by claiming rights to some shrines. They are engaged in flaring up communal tensions everywhere. When they approach with good words and smiles, everyone knows their ultimate aim,” he said.
Suresh Kurup was excluded from CPM Kottayam district committee
Senior leader K Suresh Kurup has been excluded from the CPM Kottayam district committee. The former MP has been dropped from the district secretariat too. Kurup, who had also served as the Ettumanoor MLA for two terms, had requested to be excluded from the two top district panels.
Kurup had won from Kottayam, considered an impregnable UDF citadel until then, in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections overcoming a Congress wave in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination. He had carved out a niche for himself by winning from the traditional UDF stronghold in 1998, 1999 and 2004, defeating Congress stalwarts like P C Chacko and Ramesh Chennithala.
In 2011, he wrested the Ettumanoor assembly constituency from the Kerala Congress after nearly 30 years. Kurup was reelected from the constituency in 2016.