KOZHIKODE: The CPM, which is holding an extended state committee to review and suggest corrective actions, is still in the dark about the steps to be taken to win back the Muslim votes that had gone to the UDF and had contributed to the dismal performance of the party in the assembly elections.
The central and state committees of the party have noted that some incidents and the immature statements from the leaders contributed to the total alienation of the Muslim community from the party.
The refusal to reject the ‘anti-Muslim’ remarks from Vellappally Natesan, reading out the message from UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Global Ayyappa Sangamam by a state secretariat member and the low representation of candidates from the community are cited as the reasons for the alienation.
But the party has not yet admitted any serious lapse in its total approach to the minority community in Keralam. What the party documents say is that the enemies utilised the small mistakes to create a narrative that CPM is against Muslims.
Some leaders still blame ‘the communal forces’ for the defeat of the party in ita strongholds like Taliparamba. There are confusions in the party’s stance on the Jama’at-e-Islami.
While the party joined hands with the Jama’at in other states in the country, the Keralam unit is still holding the view that the organisation stands for a theocratic state. Such lack of clarity had cost the party dear in the assembly elections but there is no move to clear such doubts.
The CPM leadership has not yet reacted to the concerns raised by CPM sympathisers like K E N Kunjahammed and P K Pokker that some in the party have started talking in the language of the Sangh Parivar.
The party leadership has been silent on the issue though it was widely debated in the Muslim circles. It has created an impression that the party is ill equipped to take up the challenge.
Social activist Mujeeb Rehman Kinalur thinks that the party is aware of the problems in its dealings with the Muslim community. “I am sure that the leadership knows what the problems are. It may not be recorded in the documents because they thought that such things need not be publicised,” Kinalur told TNIE.
He believes that CPM had committed the mistake of trying to create a division in Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama with a hope that one section would ditch the IUML and vote for the LDF. “That didn’t happen in the elections,” he said.
Key factors
The refusal to reject the ‘anti-Muslim’ remarks from Vellappally, reading out the message from UP chief minister at the Global Ayyappa Sangamam and the low representation of candidates from the community are cited as the reasons for the alienation
