Kerala: How Vadakara crossed several lines of political ethics this election

Few would dispute that Vadakara constituency witnessed the fiercest battle between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala during the ongoing Lok Sabha election.

CPI(M) central committee member and former health minister KK Shailaja was tasked with reclaiming the constituency the Left lost in 2009. The Congress, on the other hand, chose Shafi Parambil, their young MLA from Palakkad, after incumbent MP K Muraleedharan had to relocate to Thrissur due to an unusual situation involving his sister Padmaja Venugopal’s defection to the BJP.

Shafi’s candidacy in Vadakara was also significant, as he was the only Muslim candidate on the Congress list. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), seeking an additional seat beyond their customary two, was also satisfied with Shafi’s nomination because of his religious identity and popularity among the youth.

From cyber to legal war

From the moment Shafi arrived in Vadakara from Palakkad, the battle intensified significantly, with both the CPI(M) and the UDF, particularly IUML and Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) activists, engaging in an unprecedented war on cyberspace. On the ground, the situation was even worse. Accusations, counter-accusations, and rebuttals flew thick and fast, and both sides ended up slapping legal notices on one another.

Several videos of Shailaja were allegedly manipulated to portray her as anti-Muslim, including making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, and these were widely circulated in WhatsApp groups. Her television interviews were reportedly edited to misrepresent her actual statements. 

Doctored videos

Shailaja conducted a press conference, accusing the circulation of fake videos and images on WhatsApp, with the implication that the UDF candidate was complicit. Although she later clarified that she was referring to the dissemination of alleged doctored videos with communal undertones, cyber warriors from both sides stirred a controversy, labelling it as the circulation of “pornographic videos” featuring Shailaja.

The UDF maintained that the accusation was intentionally fabricated by the CPI(M) to generate sympathy for their female candidate. The controversy intensified after a crude bomb blast ripped through a gathering, resulting in the death of an individual purportedly linked to the CPI(M). The UDF has accused the Left parties of attempting to divert attention from this incident by fabricating a complaint about video manipulation.

Toxic WhatsApp message

Just before the election on April 26, a WhatsApp message surfaced on social media, carrying communal undertones and advocating for votes in favour of Shafi Parambil, the UDF candidate. The LDF attributed the creation of this message to a worker from the Muslim Youth League (MYL), although the latter rubbished the accusation.

This particular message, in which Shailaja was labelled as a “kafir” (infidel) and Shafi as a devout Muslim, sparked intense controversy, and the uproar shows no signs of abating even after polling has concluded. The IUML has lodged a complaint, accusing CPI(M) workers of fabricating this incriminating and communally sensitive content. Given the volatile nature of the region, especially in Nadapuram where conflicts between IUML and CPI(M) often take on communal overtones, and Onchiyam where the clash between CPI(M) and the breakaway faction RMP has a history of bloodshed and violence, the concerns of the public regarding potential violence are not unwarranted.

Following the election, both the LDF and the UDF-RMP coalition organized gatherings to protest what they perceived as an attempt to disrupt the socio-political climate in Vadakara. At a UDF event on May 11, RMP leader KS Hariharan made a misogynistic remark targeting Shailaja and actor Manju Warrier, triggering widespread criticism. Subsequently, some explosive substance was hurled at Hariharan’s residence in Malappuram district on the night of May 12.

Vadakara’s violent record

Vadakara constituency, especially the Nadapuram area, has a complicated history of communal violence, with the IUML and CPI(M) being the two dominant political parties. Political clashes between these parties frequently take on communal overtones and have often led to significant bloodshed and loss of lives in the past.

In 2001, Theruvamparamba in Vadakara constituency witnessed widespread violence following the alleged molestation of a woman by suspected CPI(M) workers. The incident resulted in extensive violence and arson in Nadapuram area, culminating in the murder of CPI(M) worker Enthullathil Binu in June 2001. Although the complainant retracted her statement and the accused were later acquitted, the incident had a significant impact on the election results. In 2010, five IUML workers were killed while making bombs at Narikkatteri, while five CPI(M) workers got injured while making bombs in 2016.

Anxiety and mystery over ‘kafir’ poster

According to PK Yassar Arafath, a historian and research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania who hails from Nadapuram, those at the grassroots have not taken these social media campaigns seriously. There is still a great digital divide in the local population, and most people are docile or inactive on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. It is the same with the 60-plus population. These online contents were circulated mostly among men aged between 17 and 50, and most took these videos and posters as election stunts.

“However, there is much anxiety and mystery surrounding the most dangerous of them all—the WhatsApp message on ‘kafir’— and people in the region are now questioning the authorities about why it is taking so long to discover the perpetrators and bring them to book. People do not believe it, but they want to know who is behind it,” he said.

“However, if indeed a clear polarisation exists, which I doubt, we will have a very difficult time in Vadakara in the result week. Enthullathil Binu’s death anniversary comes just two days before the elections results,” said Arafath.

Step towards healing

“I hope social media celebrities will keep their ill-informed expectations and opinions to themselves and stop causing more trouble. Vadakara requires more healing posts and deeper political analysis from all of us on different platforms,” he asserted.

Given the circumstances, leaders from prominent political parties have rallied behind the call for convening an all-party meeting to address the ongoing situation in Vadakara, particularly in light of the intensity of the campaign leading up to the Lok Sabha polls and the events thereafter. It was CPI(M) Kozhikode district secretary P Mohanan who first called for an all-party meeting, disclosing that he had held informal talks with IUML leaders, including PK Kunhalikkutty.

Subsequently, Panakkad Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal, the state president of the IUML, along with Kunhalikutty, welcomed the proposal for convening an all-party meeting, with the rider that any attempt to suppress the controversy surrounding the WhatsApp message would not be tolerated. The IUML leaders underscored that it could be technically demonstrated that none of their party members were involved in creating or circulating such a message. The leaders of the Muslim Students’ Federation, the IUML students’ wing, had already taken to social media, asserting that the all-party meeting should not serve as a means to bury the “fake WhatsApp message” controversy.

Crossed a line

The CPI(M) and Left parties allege that the IUML and UDF have reached new lows not only by seeking votes based on Shafi Parambil’s Muslim identity but also by making false videos and images to paint Shailaja as a Muslim-basher. On the other hand, the UDF, along with Jamaat-e-Islami and the RMP, claim that the CPI(M) is behind a malicious campaign using fake, communally sensitive materials to spread Islamophobia.

Political observers advocating for peace and tranquillity in the region acknowledge that the campaign in Vadakara has frequently crossed the lines of political sensitivity this time. They stress the need for urgency in moving past the blame game and engaging in proactive confidence-building measures.