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Journalism of Courage
Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member A Vijayaraghavan Saturday alleged that a “communal Muslim alliance” was behind the victory of congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.
Addressing the CPI(M) Wayanad district conference at Sulthan Bathery, Vijayaraghavan said: “Two persons have gone from Wayanad (Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi). With whose support? With the strong support of the communal Muslim alliance. Without their support, was it possible for Rahul Gandhi to reach Delhi. He is the Opposition leader. Who were in the front and back rows of the processions of Priyanka Gandhi? The worst extremist elements in the minorities were in them. They were with the Congress leadership. Without the support of the communal Muslim alliance, was it possible for Rahul Gandhi to reach Delhi,’’ he said.
Vijayaraghavan’s attack on Congress linking the party with Muslim organisations goes with the line the party had adopted after the 2014 April Lok Sabha elections. CPI(M) had tried to woo the Muslim vote bank in Kerala by highlighting the Citizenship Amendment Act and Palestine issues during the Lok Sabha elections held this April, but the election outcome witnessed Hindu voters deserting the CPI (M) led LDF.
Since then, CPI(M) has been trying to win back Hindu votes.
This approach of the CPI(M) was evident in the recent by-elections held to assembly seats of Palakkad, Chelakkara and Lok Sabha seat of Wayanad, where CPI(M) attacked the Muslim political organisations. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had dubbed IUML’s state president Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal as an “activist of the Jamaat-e-Islami”, saying Jamaat-e-Islami stood for the “Islamic regime” and that the “extremist section” was “trying to gain influence in the Indian Union Muslim League”. The IUML is part of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala and a constituent of the INDIA bloc at the national level.
Just before the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat last month, Vijayan had tried to link Jamaat-e-Islami with Congress, stating that its now MP Priyanka was contesting the polls with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami, which he said has an approach that is “not in favour of a democratic system”.
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