Kollam/Kerala: A long-term CPI(M) Kollam District Committee member on Thursday joined the IUML, a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF opposition in the state, PTI reported.
Suja Chandrababu, who was a member of the Left party for around 30 years, was inducted into the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) by its state president, Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal.
Speaking to reporters after joining IUML, she said that the CPI(M), which talks about secularism publicly, does not follow the same within the party.
She said that the IUML was a secular and inclusive party, and that is why she joined it.
Chandrababu said that of late, she had noticed that the Left party was speaking against the IUML in various public platforms.
She joined the UDF just days after senior CPI(M) leader Aisha Potty joined the Congress.
It was on Sunday that ex-CPI(M) MLA S Rajendran joined the BJP, a trend not unusual in many states in India, but not in Kerala.
Rajendran had publicly indicated his intention to join the BJP earlier this month. On January 10, he confirmed that he had met Rajeev Chandrasekhar a few days prior and held discussions regarding his political future. At that time, he maintained that he was awaiting a formal decision from the BJP leadership, IANS reported.
With the invitation now extended, he chose to accept party membership. Clarifying his stand, Rajendran stated that he had not placed any personal demands or conditions before joining the BJP.
Rajendran said that his decision was guided solely by the broader development interests of his district. He also reiterated that he does not intend to contest from the Devikulam constituency, where he had earlier served as MLA.