Kasargod (Kerala), Feb 7 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Saturday mounted an attack on the CPI(M) leadership, accusing it of suffering from “selective amnesia” over its long-standing association with Jamaat-e-Islami and adopting contradictory political positions driven solely by electoral expediency.
Speaking to reporters at the Kasargod Government Guest House after a dialogue programme held as part of the Congress-led UDF’s Puthuyuga Yatra, Satheesan said CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan was “pretending to have memory loss” while disowning the party’s past ties with Jamaat-e-Islami.
“For 42 years, Jamaat-e-Islami walked hand in hand with the CPI(M) without any discomfort. M.V. Govindan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were elected several times with the organisation’s support,” he said.
Satheesan asserted that video clips of Vijayan defending Jamaat-e-Islami and editorials published in the CPI(M)’s official mouthpiece Deshabhimani could easily be produced to establish this history.
“If this memory loss is deliberate, there is nothing to be done. But the public remembers how CPI(M) leaders openly shared platforms with Jamaat-e-Islami for decades,” he added.
The Opposition leader accused the Left party of hypocrisy in branding the UDF as communal. “Those who embraced Jamaat-e-Islami for 42 years suddenly became champions of secularism. But when the same organisation extended outside support to us, we were branded communal,” he said.
Satheesan also took a swipe at the CPI(M)’s shifting political posture, alleging minority appeasement ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and majority appeasement thereafter. “Now they are left with neither. The party is in complete confusion about what it says and what it does,” he remarked.
Referring to CPI(M)’s criticism of the Congress claim that the UDF would win over 100 seats in the next Assembly elections, Satheesan said the Left leadership was unable to accept the prospect of defeat. “Like Pinarayi Vijayan once did, Govindan can also claim 110 seats. There is even a troll saying ‘110 is the speed at which one runs away after defeat’,” he said.
Satheesan said the Puthuyuga Yatra was aimed at deliberating on Kerala’s future and new development ideas — an exercise he claimed had never been attempted on such a scale before. “Govindan is watching our journey closely. He will understand its relevance in 30 days,” he added.
Responding to questions on community organisations, Satheesan said the Congress would not interfere in the internal affairs of any group. “All organisations have the right to express their views. Our stand is that everyone should move forward together,” he said.
–IANS
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