Fresh political row in Kerala as CPI(M) MLA attends Jamaat-e-Islami event
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links. The presence of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leaders at Jamaat-e-Islami events sparked a fresh political controversy in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections. On Tuesday, January 20, CPI(M) MLA Daleema Jojo shared a platform at a programme organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami–controlled Kaniv Charitable Organisation.Daleema, MLA of Aroor constituency in Alappuzha, attended the event at Vaduthala in Ernakulam to inaugurate an ambulance delivery programme, which was inaugurated by Jamaat-e-Islami Kerala Ameer Mujeeb Rahman.Following the controversy, Daleema said her presence should not be politicised as it was a charity event. She said she neither endorsed nor aligned with the religious Islamic organisation's ideology. Daleema left the venue shortly after the inauguration. According to reports, CPI(M) Kerala general secretary, MV Govindan, was reluctant to comment on Daleema’s appearance at the event.“The charity organisation called me and informed me that they need to hand over an ambulance key as part of their charity programme. We don’t need to overthink when it is about charity,” she later told the media.On January 19, V Abdurahiman, who is currently serving as a Cabinet Minister in the Kerala government, faced political criticism for inaugurating a programme organised by Jamaat-e-Islami in Tanur.The optics have proved costly for the ruling CPI(M)-led Kerala government, which has for months mounted a sustained attack on the Congress, accusing it of "soft-pedalling" towards Jamaat-e-Islami and other communal organisations.Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior CPI(M) leaders have repeatedly alleged that the Congress-led UDF has been tacitly accommodating Islamist groups for electoral gains, projecting the LDF as the sole defender of secular, democratic values.Opposition leaders have maintained that the CPI-M has a long history of political engagement and tactical understanding with Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates in Kerala’s political history.With IANS inputs
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THE presence of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leaders at Jamaat-e-Islami events sparked a fresh political controversy in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections.
On Tuesday, January 20, CPI(M) MLA Daleema Jojo shared a platform at a programme organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami-controlled Kaniv Charitable Organisation.
Daleema, MLA of Aroor constituency in Alappuzha, attended the event at Vaduthala in Ernakulam to inaugurate an ambulance delivery programme, which was inaugurated by Jamaat-e-Islami Kerala Ameer Mujeeb Rahman.
Following the controversy, Daleema said her presence should not be politicised as it was a charity event.
She said she neither endorsed nor aligned with the religious Islamic organisation's ideology.
Daleema left the venue shortly after the inauguration.
According to reports, CPI(M) Kerala general secretary, MV Govindan, was reluctant to comment on Daleema’s appearance at the event.
“The charity organisation called me and informed me that they need to hand over an ambulance key as part of their charity programme. We don’t need to overthink when it is about charity,” she later told the media.
On January 19, V Abdurahiman, who is currently serving as a Cabinet Minister in the Kerala government, faced political criticism for inaugurating a programme organised by Jamaat-e-Islami in Tanur.
The optics have proved costly for the ruling CPI(M)-led Kerala government, which has for months mounted a sustained attack on the Congress, accusing it of "soft-pedalling" towards Jamaat-e-Islami and other communal organisations.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior CPI(M) leaders have repeatedly alleged that the Congress-led UDF has been tacitly accommodating Islamist groups for electoral gains, projecting the LDF as the sole defender of secular, democratic values.
Opposition leaders have maintained that the CPI-M has a long history of political engagement and tactical understanding with Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates in Kerala’s political history.
With IANS inputs
