Muslim League surrendering to communal forces, alleges CM Vijayan

Malappuram (Kerala): Training guns again on the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday accused the key Congress ally of surrendering to communal forces by aligning with Jamaat-e-Islami and the SDPI.

He stressed the need to protect minority rights but maintained that this should not come at the cost of succumbing to communalism Vijayan said that Jamaat-e-Islami was always kept at bay by the Sunni faction of Islam, but they are now collaborating with the UDF.

While addressing a public meeting as part of the CPI(M) Malappuram district conference, the Marxist veteran asserted that minority communalism is not a remedy for majority communalism, as the two are interdependent.

"The Muslim League is in a state of submission to communal forces, and if this trend continues, these forces will eventually consume the League itself," Vijayan warned.

He said that failing to recognise the peril of such politics could lead the Muslim League to disastrous consequences.

"We do not engage in political malice merely to secure a few votes," he said.

In Kerala, the Congress and BJP are united in opposing the Left government, he added.

The stance of the Congress and the Muslim League, willing to align with anyone for the sake of a few votes, is dangerous, the CM said. Muslim groups have been the primary victims of Sangh Parivar violence, and the situation is no different for Christians.

"However, can Congress truly claim to be a party that uncompromisingly fights communalism?" he asked.

With Congress leaders and cadres "increasingly" joining the BJP, has the party learned anything from this experience? he asked.

"We can see several Congress leaders, in fact, take an open stance with communalist forces when the country is in a fight against Sangh Parivar forces," he stated.

Vijayan has been reiterating that the ruling CPI(M) in the state opposes both majority and minority communalism and will not compromise with either side.

Criticising the BJP, Vijayan alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has insulted BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution. He stated that the BJP-led central government is currently carrying out the culmination of policies initiated by the Congress.

He also asked the Congress if it now believes it was wrong to introduce policies such as liberalisation.

The BJP and Congress share the same economic policy, with Congress also implementing BJP’s policies in the states it governs, he alleged.

He also accused the central government of fuelling communal tensions to divert public attention away from its own failures.

The Kerala chief minister claimed that his government is implementing alternative liberalisation policies in the state.