Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretariat on Friday flagged a “fast solidifying covert alliance” between the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the “Islamist” Jamaat-e-Islami to “communally divide the electorate and harness fundamentalist votes” in the crucial election year.
CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan told a press conference that the Jamaat-e-Islami’s ideology was gaining traction in the UDF. The IUML, he claimed, has opened the door for Jamaat-e-Islami’s insidious attempt to steer the UDF politics from behind the curtains.
“The Congress should recognise the danger of courting the Jamaat-e-Islami for political expediency. Radical political Islam creates a fertile ground for the Sangh Parivar’s Hindu majoritarianism and ethno- nationalism. Such extreme identity politics promoted by the reactionary outfits will undermine broad-based secular politics rooted in livelihood issues, social welfare, development, and progress. Fundamentalism will erase civic debate on issues that have a bearing on people’s lives,” Mr. Govindan said.
Mr. Govindan said the UDF-Jamaat-e-Islami entente was most evident in Malappuram district, where the IUML held considerable sway.
