The role played by communist movements in preserving Kerala’s social fabric as a secular space is historically significant. The contribution of left-wing movements, especially the CPI(M), in shaping the political consciousness of Malayalis—an outlook that is anti-imperialist and based on social justice—is undeniable too. The CPI(M) once had a tradition of resisting Hindutva politics whenever the latter attempted to inflame communal hatred within Kerala’s social sphere, even at the cost of lives. However, it is with deep concern that one observes a series of political moves emerging from left-wing centres in recent times that appear to negate this proud legacy. What is currently unfolding under the leadership of the CPI(M) is a dangerous form of “social engineering” aimed at the forthcoming Assembly elections. By portraying minorities as extremists, the party seems to be attempting to consolidate votes among the majority community and other sections, in the hope of ensuring the continuation of power. These political tactics, aimed at mobilising votes from the majority religious communities, clearly bear the imprint of Islamophobia. The statement by former CPI(M) Central Committee member A.K. Balan—that if the UDF came to power, Jamaat-e-Islami would control the Home Department and that the state would witness not just one or two, but many “Marads”—is so outrageous that it would baffle even Sangh Parivar leaders. This is not an accidental slip of the tongue; it is a continuation of a sustained and deliberate hate campaign carried out by everyone from Polit Bureau members to cyber foot soldiers against various Muslim organisations since 2019.
Instead of correcting such remarks, the Chief Minister has personally stepped in to justify communal statements. It is also with Pinarayi Vijayan’s blessing that Vellappally Natesan, projected by the Left government as a champion of social reform, is empowered to spew unchecked anti-Muslim rhetoric. The effect of such political deviations is that Muslim alienation, which began as a tactical policy, has become dangerously internalised within the CPI(M). As evidence of this, a figure once celebrated as the party’s media spokesperson has now chosen to abandon what he called “old, decayed ideas” and enter the political fray in service of BJP politics. When the very arguments raised by the RSS emerge from the mouths of Communist leaders, it creates the conditions for the normalisation of hate politics. The party, which should be confronting Sangh Parivar politics ideologically, is veering into the arena of hatred they have prepared—an approach that will ultimately pave the way for the end of the movement itself. The belief that adopting the RSS’s politics in softened language will help win the support of Kerala’s majority religious communities is nothing but monumental folly. Most Keralites do not live in isolation within the fortresses of communal hatred.
Kerala possesses the social maturity to recognise those who spew hatred—particularly the kind that thrives in cyberspace—and to consciously distance itself from them. They are a people who take joy in sharing the sweetness of a great legacy of mutual affection and respect, woven together through lived experiences and deep familiarity with one another. It is precisely this collective social experience that enabled Kerala to decisively reject the toxic feast of Muslim othering served by the CPI(M) in the name of Jamaat-e-Islami during the last Lok Sabha elections, the Palakkad and Nilambur by-elections, andmostly recently the local body polls. As the CPI(M) begins to tread the same paths that the Congress experimented with—and failed—in North India, it would do well to remember that what gets polluted in the process is the clear stream of coexistence that the state has collectively nurtured over centuries. These statements and actions, in reality, end up fertilising Sangh Parivar politics. If those who have internalised Dimitrov’s and Gramsci’s anti-fascist positions are unable to grasp this, one can only say: what a tragedy! If the party can recognise that deep dissatisfaction is simmering among its secular-minded cadre against this doublespeak, it may still be possible to prevent even the last remaining roots from rotting away. The history of the CPI(M) is one of self-criticism and course correction. The leadership must be willing to acknowledge that the unity of the state is more important than the temporary gains of power. Spreading Islamophobia and creating communal polarisation for political manoeuvring will deal a severe blow to Kerala’s future. What democratic Kerala expects from the CPI(M) is a return to a Left political path that stands up for the rights of the working masses, strengthens the social fabric of harmony, and puts an end to hate-filled rhetoric.