Kerala Chief Minister and seasoned Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Pinarayi Vijayan raised the involvement of Jamaat-e-Islami’s participation in the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election on 7th November. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the general secretary of the Congress, was accused by him of contesting the Wayanad by-election with support from Jamaat-e-Islami after Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition of Lok Sabha vacated the seat, opting to retain Raebareli as he won from both the seats in the general elections.
“Priyanka Gandhi is running as a candidate there with the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami. So, what exactly is Congress’s stance? Our country is not unfamiliar with Jamaat-e-Islami. Does that organisation’s ideology align with democratic values,” he asked in a Facebook post. He also questioned the commitment of the Congress party to secularism, given their alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami in Wayanad. “Shouldn’t those who stand for secularism oppose all forms of sectarianism? The Congress and allies, including the Muslim League, seem to be making certain ‘sacrifices’ to maintain their alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami. Can the Congress reject Jamaat-e-Islami’s votes,” he asked.
He added that the organisation has no respect for India or its democracy and disregards the country’s governance structure. He charged that Jamaat-e-Islami was functioning under the pretence of political activity through the Welfare Party and this facade was evident in Jammu and Kashmir.
The chief minister said that Jamaat-e-Islami had fostered strong sectarian views by long-opposing elections in Jammu and Kashmir. “Later, they aligned themselves with the Bharatiya Janata Party (in Kashmir),” he claimed and added that Jamaat-e-Islami intended to run for three or four seats in the recent Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, with a particular emphasis on the seat held by CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami. “The goal was to defeat Tarigami, and the BJP shared this objective. However, despite this alliance of extremists and the BJP, the people chose Tarigami,” he alleged.
According to him, the Wayanad Jamaat-e-Islami argues that they are not the same as the Kashmiri Jamaat-e-Islami. “However, the ideology remains the same–one that does not accept any form of democratic governance. This time, they feel like supporting the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF),” he highlighted.
He called on Congress leaders to remember the opposition to communal coalitions taken by the late Marxist leader EMS Namboodiripad. He mentioned in a by-election in Thalassery, EMS declared, “We do not want RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) votes.” He asked if Congress could take a similar stand against communal affiliations. He made similar allegations while addressing a by-election meeting in support of the Left candidate in Wayanad, CPI’s (Communist Party of India) Sathyan Mokeri. Navya Haridas, a member of the Kozhikode Corporation Council, is the BJP’s contender for the seat. The by-election is going to take place on 13th November.
