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Thangal lashes out at CPI(M), terms its concern for Muslims a joke
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Political Affairs Committee chairman and State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal has lashed out at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] for posing itself as a saviour of Muslims. “The CPI(M) propaganda that Muslims will become second class citizens if there is no Left is a joke,” he said.
In a detailed interview published in the IUML mouthpiece Chandrika on Saturday, Mr. Thangal ridiculed the CPI(M) for marketing “outdated communist ideologies” by giving them different religious wraps. “The CPI(M) often chose duel-edged strategies to push its agenda.”
The CPI(M) support to Muslim issues such as Palestine was part of that agenda, he said. “It was from the CPI(M) that we first heard the demands for a uniform civil code, economic reservation for forward classes, ban on triple talaq, as well as the allegations of love jihad,” said Mr. Thangal.
Alleging discrimination
He said it was the CPI(M) government that torpedoed the Sachar Committee report and slashed Muslim reservation in Kerala. “Even the Communist Party of India (CPI), a major constituent of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), alleged that the police under Pinarayi Vijayan were guided by Islamophobia. This discrimination against Muslims has been evident even in ensuring punishment for murder convicts,” he said.
The IUML leader further accused the CPI(M) of stooping to any level to win the elections. “They introduced Elamaram Kareem as ‘Kareemka’ against M.K. Raghavan in the Lok Sabha election in Kozhikode, and publicised a fake screenshot against Shafi Parambil in Vadakara. These were examples of CPI(M) strategies.”
Mr. Thangal lashed out at the CPI(M) for trying to bring the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the biggest body of Islamic clerics in the State, into the quagmire of politics. “The communists who follow an ideology of atheism may be keen to destabilise and destroy the Samastha. But they still have a lot to learn about the relations between the IUML and the Samastha.”
The IUML leader called upon everyone to examine how the BJP won and increased its vote share in Thrissur. “It is certain that the CPI(M)’s anti-Muslim campaign in Kerala helped the BJP strengthen its vote share in Thrissur. The BJP is enjoying the dividends of the CPI(M) strategies.”
Ideological fight
Mr. Thangal said that his party proved time and again that the Sangh Parivar could be parried ideologically. “The BJP was defeated not only in Ayodhya, the place of Ram Mandir, but in Guruvayur (Assembly segment of Thrissur) too. The IUML candidate won by 1.5 lakh votes in Ramanathapuram, the only one constituency having Ram’s name, where Muslim population is less than 18%.”
He accused the secular parties of refusing to give due consideration for Muslims in the recent elections. When there were 115 Muslim candidates in the fray in 2019, the number of Muslim candidates reduced to 78 in the 2024 elections.
‘Dangerous alienation’
“Alienation of any community is a dangerous, and this is a basic lesson in politics. Is it not a serious thing that there is not even a single person in the Union Cabinet to represent the 20 crore Muslims in the country?” he asked, warning that alienation of Muslim community would leave a scar on India’s image in the eye of the world.
The soul of the country rests on tolerance rooted in democracy and secularism, he said. “Those attempting to contaminate that soul with hatred will be hoisted on their own petard.”
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