"No need to link religious faith with communalism": CPI(M) targets UDF amid Jamaat-e-Islami row

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 11 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary M.V. Govindan has asserted that opposing communalism has always been the party's principled position, while accusing the Congress-led UDF of hypocrisy on the issue.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Govindan, citing an affidavit filed by the Oommen Chandy government describing Jamaat-e-Islami as an extremist organisation, said senior UDF leaders and ministers were part of the same government at the time, but now project criticism of communalism as an attack on Muslims. He stressed that religious faith should not be conflated with communal politics.
"Speaking out against communalism is the party's stand. The Oommen Chandy government had filed an affidavit stating that Jamaat-e-Islami is an extremist organisation and had also recommended that it be banned. At that time, Ramesh Chennithala was the Home Minister and V.D. Satheesan was an MLA in the same Assembly. There were five Muslim League ministers in the Cabinet then... The UDF is a front that has no hesitation in associating with them. But whenever anyone raises criticism against this, the UDF projects it as criticism against Muslims. There is no need to link religious faith with communalism," said Govindan.
He further asserted that religious faith and communalism are two entirely different things, and said believers of all religions must come together to fight communalism.
"Some people are using religion for political purposes. Such communal forces are a danger to any society... There is an attempt by certain sections to project criticism against Jamaat-e-Islami as an attack on the Muslim community. This needs to be exposed. The Left is capable of clearly placing before the people the reality that religious faith and communalism are two entirely different things. In the fight against communalism, believers of all religions must come together. Only then can communalism be isolated...," said Govindan.
However, during the press conference, Govindan alleged that the Congress, as a whole, aligned with the BJP in the local body elections. He further said that a mass mobilisation campaign will be organised across the state on January 30 to help people understand the difference between communalism and religious faith.
"The difference between Gandhi and Godse itself explains the difference between religious faith and communalism. In the local body elections, the Congress as a whole aligned with the BJP. In standing committee elections too, Congress and the BJP moved forward together in many places... A people's movement will be built against this, helping people clearly understand the distinction between communalism and religious faith. A mass mobilisation will be organised on January 30," added Govindan.
Earlier, AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal strongly criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for supporting A.K. Balan's controversial remarks related to Marad.
Venugopal said that he initially thought it was only Balan's personal statement, but the Chief Minister's endorsement made it far more serious. "What the Chief Minister has said reflects a kind of communalism that even the Sangh Parivar hesitates to express. These are issues that should never be used for political gain," Venugopal said.
A.K. Balan had claimed that if the UDF came to power, Jamaat-e-Islami would control the Home Department, and that it could lead to more incidents like Marad. He had also warned that many more "Marads" would occur. Venugopal said it was shocking that a Communist Chief Minister chose to support such a statement.
Following his remarks, Balan further said he would not withdraw his remarks on Jamaat-e-Islami in connection with the Marad riots. He had also stated that he would neither apologise nor pay compensation despite receiving a legal notice from the Jamaat-e-Islami secretary.
"At a time like this, the Chief Minister is speaking a language of communalism that even the Sangh Parivar avoids. He is using communal issues for political advantage," Venugopal alleged. (ANI)