CPM Kerala state secretariat member and former minister K.K. Shailaja MLA emphasised the need for people of conscience to denounce the attacks by “Hamas terrorists.”. At the same time, CPM fellow traveller, CM Vijayan’s conscience keeper and former minister KT Jaleel MLA countered it, stating that if Hamas are terrorists, Israel is ‘ultra terrorist’. Jaleel was in the news last year when he made a Facebook post describing PoK as ‘Azad Kashmir’ and Jammu Kashmir as ‘Indian Occupied Kashmir’.
Shailaja’s FB post condemned the Hamas attack against the residential area of Israel. She has described Hamas as “terrorists”. She called Hamas’s attack “deeply shocking”. Shailaja’s statement is of utmost significance in view of the CPM’s open support for Hamas. Her FB post further clarifies her position that people should condemn “Hamas terrorists”. She underlines the presence of greed for power and wealth in inciting wars. She referred to the deaths of innocent people, especially the appalling images of innocent infants’ burnt dead bodies amidst debris. That is why she said, “all conscientious people will condemn the attack by Hamas terrorists in the inhabited area of Israel”. She added that it is the responsibility of such people to empathise with the people who are trapped in the turbulence of war but also to actively protest against it.
But, M Swaraj, another CPM state secretariat member and former MLA, maintains that there is no justice in assessing the present conflict in Gasa impartially. His FB post says, Palestinians are innocent despite whatever they have done.
Meantime, CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and party leader MA Baby have extended strong support to Palestine. They are for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. They maintain that Hamas is retaliating to the Israeli provocations.
It is to be remembered that late Oommen Chandy, senior Congress leader and former chief minister of Kerala had to “amend” his social media post regarding Soumy Santosh, a young woman killed, in Israel, in Hamas’s attack. When her dead body was brought back to her home town in Kerala, Chandy paid homage to her and said in his post that she was killed in Hamas’s attack. But, as pro-Hamas propaganda picked up in the state, he remembered the “essentiality” of Muslim vote bank hence he amended his post saying that “Homage to Soumya Santosh died in Israel”. And, now, Congress leaders also echo the opinion of CPM leaders. They are not ready to condemn the Hamas attack. They attack PM Modiji for declaring support to Israel during these days of Hamas attack.
In another words, both CPM, Congress and the constituents both Fronts lead are in tight contest for appeasing Muslim community and grab their votes. Both CPM and Congress had called for state-wide hartal when Sadam Hussein was hanged. Yes, vote is be-all and end-all for Kerala politicians cutting across the colour of the flags they carry.
