The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key partner in the Congress-led UDF, on Sunday came out against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remarks linking it with communal outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami, and accused the Marxist veteran of trying to divide communities for political gain.
E T Mohammed, the party's national organising secretary, alleged that the ruling CPI(M) was engaging in "dirty politics" to create divisions in society.
On Saturday, Vijayan, after releasing a book -- 'Keralam: Muslim Rashtreeyam - Rashtreeya Islam' -- by CPI(M) state committee member P Jayarajan, said a great danger posed by the IUML is that in its eagerness to defeat the communists, it joins forces with the SDPI, Jamaat-e-Islami and any other communal terrorist organisation.
"These accusations are just attempts by the chief minister to deflect from his own failures," said Basheer, while speaking to reporters in Malappuram.
He outrightly rejected the CM allegations and termed them false.
"This is completely false. We have no alliance with the SDPI, and we firmly reject such claims. While it is true that in 2019, we previously engaged with Jamaat-e-Islami, it was not a secret," he said.
In fact, the CPI(M) itself has received support from Jamaat-e-Islami in several past elections, he further said.
"The Muslim League has never regarded Jamaat-e-Islami as a terrorist group, which is why the UDF accepted their support in the 2019 election. However, it is ironic that Vijayan's party, which once benefitted from their votes, now suddenly sees them as a terror threat," the Malappuram MP added.
"Let's not forget that it was the CPI(M) that helped and nurtured the PDP (a party founded by Abdul Nazer Mahdani) in Kerala," Basheer further said.
The IUML leader charged that Vijayan is often wrong, and his narratives are attempts to cover up his failures.
"Pinarayi Vijayan is attempting to divide minorities, but his latest efforts to gain political gains through this have failed in the last Lok Sabha elections. The IUML has no need for the CPI(M) or Vijayan's so-called 'soft line' approach," said Basheer.
Meanwhile, Jayarajan responded that the focus of the upcoming bypolls should be on secularism, not on his book.
"Secularism is the core aim of the LDF, and we will not compromise with those who support a religious state," he told reporters in Kalpetta on Sunday.
He admitted that the issue of Jamaat-e-Islami's support would be a topic of discussion, highlighting that while the RSS is working for Hindu unification, Jamaat-e-Islami seeks to unify Muslims.
"The LDF's stance is to oppose any form of religious statism, regardless of past alliances. The current political scenario in the country has shifted, and the party's stand has always adapted according to the political situation of the time," Jayarajan added.
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