Opportunistic politics running amok

With just nine days remaining for the Kerala Assembly elections, it must be stated that the verbal war of allegations and counter-allegations between the fronts in the state, which are fighting with all their might to retain or regain power, reveals the nadir of opportunistic politics. Although stances that lack any principle — labeled as "tactical policy" — are not new for parties and fronts, the absurdity of their justifications becomes more evident than ever after each election. The latest among these is the vacillating approach of the Left Front, especially the CPM, which swears by secularism more than anyone else, regarding the support of the SDPI. In response to the SDPI state president's claim that the CPM sought their support in a constituency where a minister is seeking the mandate and that they had supported him in the previous election, the Chief Minister denied it by stating: “There are many people in Kerala who, keeping the nationwide stance of the BJP in mind, wish that they do not win; when we stood firmly opposing the BJP, some who generally do not agree or cooperate with us politically might have voted for us to defeat the BJP, but that is not part of any deal.”

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In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as well as in the subsequent Palakkad and Nilambur Assembly by-elections and local body elections, where similar situations were more visible, Chief Minister Pinarayi, other ministers, and prominent CPM leaders had incessantly proclaimed that the UDF had formed an alliance with the "religious extremist terrorist" organization Jamaat-e-Islami. At all those times, Left Front leaders and spokespersons had not failed in the slightest to mention the SDPI alongside them. Although Jamaat was not in the fray in any of these elections, the entire state was stirred up over the support of the Welfare Party, which is considered to have Jamaat's backing. Even as the campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections approaches its crescendo, Left Front leaders, campaigners, and the media do not fail to put the UDF in the dock by alleging Jamaat support. What should people understand from this double standard?

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The INDIA bloc was formed at the national level to fight unitedly against the NDA on the grounds of secular democracy, setting aside other contradictions and differences of opinion after recognizing that the unprecedented challenge facing the country is that of Hindutva fascism. Although this unity could not be replicated at the regional level for various reasons, its empowerment and relevance at the national level, both inside and outside Parliament, have not been denied. These are moments passing by where one must align most strongly against the NDA, which moves forward in every parliamentary session with new anti-democratic and anti-minority bills. In such a critical situation, instead of moving forward by taking religious minority organizations along, when secular parties show an eagerness to distance and exclude them by adopting baseless allegations and falsehoods of fascist propaganda as they are, it is worth pondering for a moment who this stance will eventually benefit. An objective assessment would make it clear that there is no group in democratic India upholding theocracy or Muslim communalism against Hindutva. There will certainly be ideological or conceptual disagreements with organizations. However, taking up fascist propaganda in the name of that, and adopting Islamophobic approaches instead of secularism will only serve to strengthen fascism. That is exactly what is happening in Kerala now. The anti-Muslim blank shots set off even on Tuesday by the CPM and its allies, targeting majority votes, is what the BJP is now using as weapons. There is no point in pretending not to see that the constant justification — that if they adopt a soft approach toward minority communalism, majority communalism will gain strength— is now backfiring. When the LDF and UDF are both accused of "embracing Muslim extremists," the fascists gain an opportunity to shout that they are the only ones fighting against them. There is no doubt that the outcries regarding the SDPI will also be beneficial to the Sangh Parivar fascists.

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