CPI(M) in Kerala steps up attack on UDF over Jaamat-e-Islami support

A day after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) made it clear that it would accept support from the Jaamat-e-Islami, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Kerala State secretary M.V. Govindan on Saturday intensified his offensive against the Opposition coalition, accusing it of “forging an alliance with extremist religious organisations.”

​Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) ongoing northern region development rally, Vikasana Munneta Jatha, in Kozhikode, Mr. Govindan alleged that the Congress was “increasingly relying on communal consolidation” to bolster its electoral prospects in the upcoming Assembly elections.

​The CPI(M) State secretary said the Congress had effectively granted Jamaat-e-Islami “a certificate of merit despite its radical theocratic agenda”, revealing the growing relationship between the Congress and the organisation.

​He further said that Jamaat-e-Islami’s influence had permeated the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), suggesting that the organisation had become “a key architect” of the IUML’s ideological framework. Such a shift, Mr. Govindan warned, posed “a fundamental threat” to Kerala’s long-standing secular traditions.

On Friday, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that UDF would accept Jaamat-e-Islami’s support, noting that the organisation had clearly stated it did not endorse the idea of a theocratic state.