ALAPPUZHA: In a scathing attack that could precipitate communal polarisation ahead of the crucial elections to local bodies and the state assembly, SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan has termed the IUML’s claim of secularism as one of the greatest “political comedies” in Kerala’s history.
In an editorial titled ‘The Secular Facade of the Muslim League’ published in Yoganadam, the SNDP’s official organ, Vellappally accused the IUML of spreading communal hatred, and said its true desire was to make Kerala a theocratic state.
“No other political outfit in the state is as deeply rooted in religious identity as the IUML,” Vellappally said, adding that the party’s primary concern has always been the safeguarding of Muslim interests rather than the welfare of all citizens. He said the IUML continues to follow in the path of the All India Muslim League, which played a pivotal role in the partition of the country.
Acknowledging that the party has had humane leaders in the past, he said the current generation’s secularism is “a mere coat of paint that fades with the first drop of rain.”
Taking a swipe at IUML leader K M Shaji, he said it was hard not to laugh at the so-called secular speeches delivered by such leaders.
He alleged that some IUML members live a dual life, acting as League members by day and Popular Front of India (PFI) members by night. Vellappally also criticised the IUML’s move to field a handful of SC candidates in assembly elections, terming it a ‘secular showpiece’ tactic as Muslims cannot contest from reserved constituencies.
Accusing the IUML of spreading communal hatred, Vellappally said speeches by leaders like Shaji exposed the party’s hypocrisy.
Those who raise concerns about the injustices faced by the majority and marginalised communities are often branded as communalists, while the real divisive politics is being played by the IUML and its allies, he alleged.
“The League’s current political goal is to recapture power and recover what it perceives as the community’s losses over the last decade, while also tightening its control over aided and unaided educational institutions,” Vellappally said.
Recalling that the IUML originated from the Malabar region, the centre of the 1921 rebellion, Vellappally criticised the party for its silence on sensitive social issues, from the hijab controversy to changes in school timings.
“Those who label others as communal should realise they themselves are immersed neck-deep in sectarianism,” he said. “This is the same Muslim League that Jawaharlal Nehru once termed a ‘dead horse’,” he added.
