KASARGOD, June 12: Life, for the Communists in Kerala, has come full circle. The God-defying, temple-wrecking breed of Lenin worshippers are now fast changing colours: tossing away Marxist ideology in favour of their new found love for religion.The prodigal sons' return to faith might be rather surprising, considering the fact that these were the same people who did not hesitate to destroy temples when their plan to convert places of worship into libraries and community halls failed.But that of course is history now. The new faithfuls are busy bringing about another revolution, with the blessings of the party leadership, who, of late, have realised the threat of Hindutva and its appeal to the public.And no effort is being spared to convince the public about the Communists' change of heart. Temples are being renovated even in CPM strongholds like Kayyur, Karivellur and Madikkai - places where Communism once replaced God and religion. Not content with the rebuilding of temples, kovils and madappuras,the Reds are also playing an active role in the administration of temples and in the conduct of annual festivals. The dilution of ideology will in no way affect the party, feel CPM leaders. In fact, it is aimed at just the opposite: weaning away people from the BJP's Hindutva agenda.Says CPM district secretary K Kunhiraman, ``The younger generation is very much aware of the threat posed by the Hindutva forces who use the temple issue to garner votes. Hence the increased involvement of CPM and DYFI cadres in temple activities.''He also says that the party had no role in the attacks on temples at Kayyur and elsewhere in north Malabar. Though, ``these attacks were carried out by our partymen, it was done without the knowledge of the leadership.'' Besides, he feels the CPM is justified in following its new agenda: ``After all, Communists are a part of the society and they cannot keep themselves apart from everyone else.''Sukumaran, a DYFI activist from Kayyur, agrees. ``Faith in God doesn't hinderour party work. Besides, temple festivals are a part of our social life. So what is wrong in taking an active part in it,'' queries the young Red, who is in the forefront in conducting annual temple festivals at Kayyur.But Gopalan Vaidyar, a former CPM leader who was jailed during the emergency, feels that it is the ``Parliamentary ambition of the Communists'' that is drawing them closer to God.The new agenda has its detractors too. CPI leader Choorikkadan Krishnan Nair, who was sentenced to death in connection with the peasant uprising at Kayyur (he, however, escaped the hangman's noose as he was a minor) says that the young Reds are turning to God only because they are mentally weak. ``They fear that their life will be in peril unless they turn to God,'' he adds. According to him, the Alayil Bhagavathy temple at Kayyur and the Therappan Gosala Krishna temple at Klayikkode were not attacked by `real' Communists, but by atheist Reds. ``The same people are getting closer to God now. But their faith isnot real. They are just pretending,'' he says.
