Congress, CPM nurtured communal outfits in Kerala, say analysts

Even as the Congress and the CPM are currently at loggerheads, they have a policy of tying up with communal outfits for local polls, say experts

Even as the Congress in Kerala has been alleging that the recent back-to-back political murders in Kerala involving communal outfits were the outcome of communal appeasement politics being nurtured by the ruling CPM and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, political analysts say that the Congress is also equally responsible for the growth of the communal outfits in the state.

Analysts said that both the Congress and the CPM used to enter into electoral nexus with these outfits at local levels overtly and covertly. Hence, the CPM and the Congress, which have been ruling Kerala over the years, are equally responsible for the growth of these outfits, they say.

Even as Muslim fundamental outfits like Popular Front of India's affiliate Social Democratic Party of India and People's Democratic Party led by Abdul Nasser Madani and Hindu outfits like RSS are not having much voter base in Kerala, they are influential in many pockets of the state. Hence, they attain significance in local body elections and even have representatives in many local bodies.

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Veteran political analyst MN Karassery said that both the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the CPM-led Left Democratic Front used to take support of these outfits at local body levels. In Assembly elections as well, the mainstream political parties used to enter into nexus with these communal outfits. Hence, both Congress and CPM were equally responsible for the growth of communal outfits in the state.

In a recent instance, SDPI backed a no-confidence motion of the LDF against the UDF at Erattupetta municipality in Kottayam district, while the BJP backed LDF's no-confidence motion at Kottayam municipality. The state had also witnessed top leaders of both the UDF and the LDF rallying behind PDP leader Maudany, who was accused in a Bengaluru blast case.

In the recent Assembly elections, the Indian Union Muslim League, which is a key coalition partner of the UDF, had reportedly received SDPI's support at Manjeshwar in Kasargod where the BJP's State President, K Surendran, was the favourite to win.

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During all general elections, Congress and the CPM used to make allegations and counter-allegations of tie-ups with fundamental outfits.

Political analyst Jacob George said that the Congress was quite concerned that CPM, especially Chief Minister Vijayan, was making inroads into its Muslim vote banks in the state through various strategical moves like his recent intervention to settle a row over Kerala Wakf Board recruitment. That could be the reason why Congress is now trying to unleash a campaign that the CPM was facilitating the growth of the communal outfits.

Even on Tuesday, Opposition leader VD Satheesan of the Congress, stated that the CPM was entering into nexus with minority and majority communal outfits at the same time with the intention of destroying the Congress-led UDF.

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