Decode Politics: From calling IUML ‘secular’ to now linking it to Jamaat-e-Islami, what explains CPM’s shift in Kerala

First, what did Vijayan say?

On November 8, portion campaigning for Left Democratic Front (LDF) campaigner Sathyan Mokeri up of the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, Vijayan said Congress campaigner Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was contesting with “the enactment of the Jamaat-e-Islami”. The organisation, Vijayan said, was not successful “favour of a antiauthoritarian system”.

Saying the Jamaat stood for an “Islamic regime”, Vijayan said “the extremist section” was “trying to summation power successful the Indian Union Muslim League”. The IUML is simply a portion of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) successful Kerala and a constituent of the INDIA bloc astatine the nationalist level.

Then connected Sunday, portion campaigning for the LDF-backed Independent campaigner P Sarin successful Palakkad, Vijayan linked IUML authorities president Sadiq Ali Thangal for the archetypal clip with the Jamaat, saying helium is behaving similar “a follower of the Jamaat-e-Islami”. “His predecessors (from the Thangal family) were each well-respected,” the CM said, going connected to notation to however the IUML stood by the Congress authorities successful Kerala aft the Babri Masjid was demolished.

The Malappuram-based Panakkad Thangal household has sizeable power connected Muslims successful Kerala. Apart from being astatine the helm of the IUML, the household is besides associated with Samastha, an influential Muslim scholars’ body. When the Babri Masjid was demolished successful 1992, the IUML was led by Panakkad Syed Muhammedali Shihab Thangal, the eldest member of Sadiq Ali. Thangal elder had past appealed to the community: “Not a azygous chromatic should autumn connected a Hindu house. Muslims should basal defender for Hindu temples, if required.”

What was the CPI(M)’s strategy during the Lok Sabha polls?

Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the CPI(M) had aggressively reached retired to the state’s Muslims and the IUML. In 2023, CPI(M) authorities caput M V Govindan said the IUML was “a enactment which sees things from a secular perspective”. Other CPI(M) authorities leaders said that the doors of the LDF were unfastened to the IUML for a imaginable alliance.

The CPI(M)’s main plank successful the Lok Sabha polls was, successful fact, absorption to the Modi government’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which had travel nether disapproval by Muslim groups crossed the country. This was seen arsenic a strategy by the enactment to pull the Muslim ballot that has traditionally been with the UDF successful Kerala towards it.

However, the CPI(M)’s crippled program failed miserably, with the CPI(M) winning lone 1 retired of 20 seats — explaining, it seems, the people correction.

What has been the alteration successful the CPI(M) since the Lok Sabha elections?

Having taken an assertive basal connected the Sabarimala contented that alienated galore Hindus, present the CPI(M) appears to beryllium trying woo them backmost by taking connected a strident anti-IUML stand. Hindus successful Kerala person been apprehensive implicit reports of increasing Islamist extremism, which is what the CPI(M) appears to beryllium betting on.

In its reappraisal of the enactment show successful the Lok Sabha elections, the CPI(M) claimed that the Social Democratic Party of India, the governmental helping of the banned Popular Front of India, and the Jamaat worked successful tandem with the Congress and the IUML to guarantee the UDF’s victory. Since then, CPI(M) has been perpetually targeting the IUML.

How does the Palakkad bypoll acceptable into this?

The LDF has been struggling successful the Palakkad Assembly seat, wherever the BJP has made inroads and was a runner-up successful the 2016 and 2021 elections. An estimated 74% of Palakkad’s voters are Hindu, followed by 22% Muslim voters and 3% Christian votes. The CPI(M) is counting connected getting immoderate of the Hindu ballot distant from the BJP to triumph the bypoll.

The run-up to the bypoll has been marked by respective twists and turns, with fashionable younker BJP person G Sandeep Varier joining the Congress, and the Congress itself losing its Kerala younker caput and caput of its authorities integer media compartment P Sarin, who is present contesting arsenic an Independent with the backing of the Left.
The Palakkad bypoll was necessitated aft the incumbent MLA, Shafi Parambil of the Congress, got elected to the Vadakara constituency successful the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

What has been the Jamaat-e-Islami’s abstraction successful Kerala politics?

Ironically, the Kerala portion of the Jamaat-e-Islami has successful the past openly expressed enactment for the LDF successful Kerala. After the Jamaat floated its governmental wing, the Welfare Party of India, successful 2011, the CPI(M) had ruled respective section bodies successful Kerala with the enactment of the party.

Besides this, the CPI(M) and Jamaat person besides held associated protests against onshore acquisition for projects specified arsenic the GAIL pipeline during the clip the Congress was successful power.

However, successful 2019, with the BJP’s power increasing successful Kerala, the Jamaat changed its governmental enactment and declared that lone the Congress could instrumentality connected the Sangh Parivar.