Statescan The BJP's solo run to project a third choice

Despite being described as a dead horse by Nehru in the earlier sixties, the Muslim League is the second largest party in the Congress led UDF and has been with it for almost four decades. While it was comrade EMS who gave a district of Malappuram to the Muslims by breaking three neighbouring districts, it was the Congress which made a Muslim League man, C.H. Mohammed Koya the Chief Minister of Kerala.

The recent split in the Congress and the forming of the DIC (K) by Karunakaran and his son has increased the clout of the Muslim League and its controversial General Secretary P.K. Kunjalikutty. It was Kunjalikutty who took the lead in brokering a UDF-DIC (K) alliance after the CPM closed its door on the old war horse K. Karunakaran. It was a Kunjalikutty show all the way. The adamant chief minister, Oomen Chandy and P.C.C. President, Ramesh Chennithala were hardly prepared to concede more than five seats to DIC (K). Moreover they were insisting that DIC (K) should merge with Congress after the polls and they should contest on hand symbol. Kunjalikutty'sdeft handling and rapport with Sonia, Veerappa Moily made Oomen Chandy give 16 seats to DIC (K) from the Congress Kitty. Kunjalikutty gave two seats from the IUML'sshare, one of which is Koduvally in which K. Muraleedharan (Karunakaran'sson) would contest. Thus Kunjalikutty has got into the good books of both Karunakaran and Congress.

Similarly the CPM'sstrategy to project Paloli Mohammed Kutty for the post of chief minister is aimed at getting Muslim votes. After its state conference held at Malappuram, the CPM has been systematically trying to woo the Muslims. Pinarayi visited the Markaz of Kanthapuram Musaliyar and declared that the CPM was not against Islam. The anti-US stance in the Iran issue is also a CPM ploy to get Muslim votes. The CPM'sincreasing relations with the jehadi NDF and Madhani'sPDP also makes interesting reading. There are several CPM Muslim cadres among the NDF activists arrested in the ?MARAD? massacre of Hindu fishermen. The Kerala Assembly passed an unanimous resolution calling for release of Madhani from the Coimbatore prison, for which the Congress and CPM were also party. Finally the LDF candidate K.T. Jaleel who is contesting against Kunjalikutty in Kuttipuram went to Coimbatore prison and sought Madhani'ssupport for LDF and Madhani has issued a letter giving full support of PDP to all 140 LDF candidates. Also the CPM has given three seats to Indian National League, a jehadi outfit of late Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait.

The Christian community is also the target of the CPM. When the Bishop'shouse near Thiruvanantha-puram was attacked by miscreants, the CPM leaders including Pinarayi and V.S rushed to the church and offered all assistance. More recently addressing the Bishop Paulose Mar Paulose Memorial Lecture in Thrissur, the CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat said that the Communists and the Christians should unite to save democracy and secularism, under threat from hindutva forces. Moreover it was the CPM veteran V.S who inaugurated the Southern Kurishumala Pilgrimage in Thiruvananthapuram. The Christian church have a game plan of planting Crosses in forest and hilly areas and in course of time the entire area will come under their custody. Annual pilgrimages are organised there, in which lakhs attend.

Thus the CPM which is basically a Hindu party in Kerala has started wooing the Muslim and the Christian communities and what effect it will bring on the socio political scenario of Kerala, where the Hindus are on the verge of political orphans, only time will tell.