Nilambur bypoll sees Congress, CPM attack each other over support from 'communal forces'

Thiruvananthapuram: The support extended by the Welfare Party-Kerala unit associated with the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind to the Congress-led United Democratic Front and Abdul Nazar Maudany headed People's Democratic Party (PDP) to the CPM-led Left Democratic Front for the June 19 by-poll to the Nilambur assembly seat in Malappuram have triggered a row.

As the CPM accused the Congress of taking the support of 'communal forces', the grand old party hit back at the Left over the support that the CPM earlier got from the Welfare Party as well as by citing PDP's support to the left-front.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress slammed the Left, saying that in the past six elections till 2019 the Welfare Party and Jamaat-e-Islami supported the Left-front.

"At that time the CPM was not considering the Jamaat-e-Islami and Welfare Party as communal forces. It was nothing but double standards", Satheesan hit back.

He also asked why the CPM was not finding any fault in PDP's support to the Left-front.

CPM state secretary M V Govindan in turn aimed to justify the support from PDP by maintaining that the PDP was not following the theocratic nation ideology being followed by the Jamaat-e-Islami. He also said that PDP was representing a section who have been facing harassment.

BJP has accused both the Congress and the CPM of indulging in 'appeasement politics.'