'Won't label IUML as communal': CPI(M) amid charges of hate campaign against party leader

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 29 (PTI) CPI(M) Kerala State Secretary M V Govindan on Monday refused to characterise the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) as a communal party, despite accusations that the League conducted a hate campaign on social media against party leader K K Shailaja during the Lok Sabha polls.

A section of Left leaders in Kerala had raised an issue saying activists of the IUML -- a key ally of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala -- allegedly referred to Shailaja 'Teacher', the LDF candidate in the Vadakara Lok Sabha seat, as a "kafir" (meaning 'non-believer' among various interpretations, some unpleasant) during campaigning for the April 26 Lok Sabha polls.

Responding to a question about this at a press conference, Govindan asked whether the Congress can be considered communal as its leader Shafi Parambil, who contested against Shailaja in the Vadakara Lok Sabha seat, also participated in the hate campaign.

"Shafi was also part of the campaign. Can we call Congress a communal party?," Govindan questioned in response to a query about whether the IUML could be labelled a communal party in light of allegations that its activists were involved in the hate campaign against Shailaja.

He alleged that the UDF camp had employed everything from "morphed porn videos" to communal hatred in its campaign against the LDF candidate in Vadakara.

His statement comes amid criticism from a section of Left leaders like K T Jaleel MLA, who claim that this time, the Vadakara Lok Sabha seat witnessed a different campaign scene compared to all previous elections.

In a Facebook post, Jaleel, a former leader of the IUML's youth wing, alleged that the Muslim League, along with a faction of the Congress and Jamaat-e-Islami as well as the SDPI, had turned the democratic festival into a kind of "religious festival" in Vadakara.

He claimed that after the Congress announced the candidature of Shafi Parambil from Vadakara, there was an influx of Muslim Youth League workers to the Vadakara Lok Sabha seat.

Jaleel alleged that the IUML, like the BJP, ignited communalism to secure electoral victories.

"They (the IUML) fanned the flames of minority communalism (in Vadakara)," he alleged.

The former state minister further alleged that just as the Sangh Parivar had saffronised the election, the League workers in Vadakara completely "greenised" (a reference to the green flag of the IUML) the Lok Sabha election in Vadakara.

The IUML leadership is yet to react to the remarks of Jaleel, who was once its Youth League leader.

In 2022, the CPI(M) had said the IUML is "not a communal party" and praised the key partner of the opposition UDF for not agreeing with the Congress on the issue of the alleged move by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who according to the ruling front, was trying to "saffronise" the universities in Kerala.

Indicating a clear shift in its tactical approach towards the Muslim League, CPI(M) State Secretary Govindan had also recalled the open alliance his party had with the party controlled by Panakkad Thangal family to form a government in 1967 in Kerala under the leadership of Communist stalwart late E M S Namboothiripad.

"Muslim League is a party that works democratically for the minorities. We are not saying that it is a communal party," Govindan, who is also a member of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau, had said.

In an apparent warming up to the Muslim League, which was once termed a communal party by the CPI(M), Govindan had then said that only parties like SDPI are adopting communal positions.

He had also said the CPI(M) has criticised the Muslim League whenever it had extended friendship to forces such as the SDPI. PTI