The lack of initiative from Kerala’s Left Democratic Front government to engage leaders of two minority communities to find lasting peace to the communal tension triggered by a Catholic bishop’s “jihad” allegations against Muslims has brought the Congress to the forefront as the lead troubleshooter.

Twelve days after Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt of Pala Diocese made controversial claims of “love jihad” and “narcotic jihad”, literally placing the entire Muslim community in a shadow of suspicion, it is the Congress that took the initiative to meet leaders from the two communities.

Muslim leaders have categorically stated that they would settle for nothing less than Bishop Kallarangatt withdrawing his statement.

State Congress president K. Sudhakaran and leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan have been meeting Christian bishops and Muslim leaders in an effort to bring them to the table.

Former minister and CPM state committee member A.K. Balan on Monday lashed out against Congress leaders.

“This is a closed chapter. They are keeping this alive with a larger political agenda,” Balan told reporters.

He added: “These are people who usually fish in troubled waters. Now they are trying to be doves of peace.”

CPM state secretary A. Vijayaraghavan accused the Congress leaders of adopting “BJP’s style of communal polarisation. What Sudhakaran and Satheesan are doing now is that kind of work”.

Congress leaders slammed the Left government for not doing anything to find a solution.

“Whose responsibility is it to organise such a meeting? The government has a larger responsibility to organise a conciliatory meeting than the Opposition Congress,” the party’s state president, K. Sudhakaran, told reporters on Monday.

“The chief minister instead sent a minister (cooperation minister V.N. Vasavan) to meet the Pala bishop (on September 17) a day after we met him. Vasavan later said everything was sorted out. Who told him it’s over? Did he even talk to the Muslim community?” Sudhakaran said.

Satheesan, who has been urging the government to summon a meeting of all sides, slammed the CPM. “The CPM doesn’t even have any stand on this. Doesn’t the party secretary live here (in Kerala)? Can’t he see what is happening?”

Even a neutral observer like retired academic and social thinker M.N. Karassery found fault with the Left government in failing to talk to all sides.

“It is twelve days since the Pala bishop made those remarks and the government did nothing apart from sending Vasavan to meet the bishop, and not the Muslim community, giving the impression that they were not concerned about the feelings of Muslims,” Karassery told The Telegraph.

He flayed the CPM for treating it as a “closed chapter”.

“Who closed the chapter? Did they even make half an attempt to close it? It is the government’s duty to step in and douse the fire,” he said, adding that, “the response of the chief minister and CPM have been extremely irresponsible”.