Nilambur bypoll: Welfare Party of India’s support for UDF sparks political row over alliances with ‘communal forces’
The Hindu
WPI's support for UDF sparks political controversy over alliances with communal forces in Nilambur byelection.
The Welfare Party of India’s (WPI) declaration of support for the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the high-stakes Nilambur Assembly byelection has sparked off a political slugfest between the opposing campaigns over the touchy question of “courting communal forces for electoral gain.”
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M. V. Govindan stated in Malappuram that the WPI was the “islamist Jamaat-e-Islami’s political arm”, and its unconditional support for the UDF highlighted the Opposition’s desperation to seek the help of fundamentalist outfits on either side of the religious spectrum to bolster its “faltering and infighting-riven campaign”.
Mr. Govindan said the “Jamaat-e-Islami-Congress-Bharathiya Janata Party rainbow concord” in Nilambur was the latest example of majority and minority communal forces working in conjunction against the LDF, with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) playing second fiddle.
“The Hindu majoritarian Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Jamaat-e-Islami share a symbiotic relationship. Their incendiary politics of hate and divisiveness surcharge their respective ideologies. For the UDF, the Sangh Parivar’s and Jamaat-e-Islami’s support is an ill wind that blows no good”, he added.
When asked whether the CPI(M) had no ideological compunctionabout accepting the support of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) headed by the 2008 Bengaluru serial blast case accused Abdul Nassar Madani, Mr. Govindan replied: “The PDP, unlike the RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami, is not a party which disavows the constitution and aspires to create a theocratic totalitarian State. The PDF is a victim of revanchist politics. It is ideologically committed to secularism and parliamentary democracy”.
Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan termed Mr. Govindan’s stance on the WPI’s unconditional support for the UDF in Nilambur as double-faced.
He stated that the LDF had welcomed the Jamaat-e-Islami’s support in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and later in the 2011 Kerala Assembly elections.
Political parties and citizens express outrage as 24 lakh voters are excluded from Kerala's electoral rolls during the SIR process.
Supreme Court to hear suo motu case on Aravali Hills definition amid concerns over mining and ecological impact.
Residents and tourists in Yercaud demand urgent repair of non-functional street lights for safety amid increasing visitor traffic.
Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi meets Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda in Delhi to discuss organizational expansion and Bihar's development.
Shorts News:Watch: Army intensifies winter operations in J&K to flush out Pakistani terrorists
Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu seek urgent policy intervention to address citizenship and electoral rights issues.
Stalin claims Tamil Nadu's growth under DMK is targeted by Union Ministers, sparking public awareness and support for the state.
Mangaluru attracts $240 million in GCC and technology investments, emerging as a key player in India's digital economy.
Mangaluru police arrest 25 drug peddlers in a week, urging public to report addiction and peddling for a drug-free community.
Chouhan criticizes Congress for politicizing rural jobs scheme while defending the enhanced provisions of the new G-Ram-G Act.
Binoy Kurien is sworn in as president of the Kannur district panchayat, representing the Peralassery division.
Join the three-day national science convention in Yadgir to celebrate rationalism and combat superstition, starting December 30.
Violinists M. Lalitha and M. Nandini receive Thamizh Isai Vendar titles at the 28th Thamizh Isai Festival in Chennai.