Communists or self-styled Marxists, whether CPM or CPI or Maoists, are always against nationalist sentiments because, for them, it is nothing but a bourgeois sentiment that the rulers always flaunt to stabilise and consolidate their power and position. Therefore, CPM and their offshoot organisations always move in the direction of encouraging and supporting the forces whom nationalist forces love to hate.
The latest development is the naming of the Kerala University Youth Festival 2024. The University Students Union, controlled by Students Federation of India (SFI), the student body of CPM, has named it Intifada. Intifada is an Arabic word. Its meaning is shake off’. Palestinians use it to mean civil uprising. The first Palestinian Intifada erupted in Gaza in December 1987. It was in the wake of the death of four Palestinians in a collision between an Israeli vehicle and two vans carrying Palestinian workers. The term Intifada is historically linked with militant groups like Hamas of Palestine. The Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas, use the term to describe their violent campaigns against Israel. The choice of the name for the University Youth Festival has raised anxiety in the thoughts of the right-thinking people in the State. They fail to make out any relevance in linking a pet word of terrorists with a Youth Festival. It appears to be the promotion of Islamism in view of the violent activities of Hamas against Israel. The poster for the event suggests a pro-Palestine and Hamas mood and sentiment. It depicts the scarf of Palestine and Hamas embedded on the Palestine map. The caption reads “The Protest of Arts Against the Invasion – Intifada”.
It is like institutionalisation of the pro-Hamas terror politics. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and all nationalist organisations have been alleging that Kerala is infested by the terrorist organisations like outlawed Popular Front of India (PFI) and ISIS. Recently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court sentenced the IS-linked Riyas Abubacker to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 1,25,000. NIA reportedly proved that Riyas Abubaker, a native of Kollenkode, Palakkad, had formed the Kerala chapter of ISIS and planned the plot for suicide blasts. He was arrested by NIA in 2018. The investigative team found clear evidence to prove a plot to execute a series of bomb blasts in the State. Riyas Abubaker was caught while preparing for terrorist blasts. Voice clips and several matters evidenced it. It was found that Riyas had sinister designs to launch a suicidal attack based on the order of Abdul Rashid Abdullah, an IS leader in Afghanistan.
A couple of weeks before, Savad, the main accused in Prof T J Joseph’s hand-chopping case, was arrested in Mattannur, Kannur, Kerala last month. Kannur is the strongest CPM bastion in Kerala. It speaks out that the NIA is essential to catch hold of the terrorists. It is because no political will or force in Kerala is interested in combating terrorism since both the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) are not interested in opposing, let alone fighting, extremist outfits. Both Fronts are for vote bank politics.
Recently, Kerala Media Academy, Kochi, the reputed journalism institute controlled by the State Government, selected Wael Al-Dahdouh as the “Media Person of The Year”. He is the Gaza Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera TV and is reported to be the “media man” of the terrorist Hamas.
Pro-CPM leftist media persons and outlawed PFI competed with each other in supporting the PFI man Siddique Kappan when he was arrested in Uttar Pradesh for his alleged anti-national activities. Congress maintained the same policy too.
When the Israel – Hamas war broke out, leaders of both Fronts were in tight competition to win the position of ‘leaders of anti-Israel forces’. One CPM leader reportedly went to the extent of saying that “no matter what Hamas did, we stand with them”.
In May 2021, When Soumya Santosh, a Keralite, was killed in Hamas’s missile attack in May 2021, the late Oomen Chandy, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader, amended his condolence message to make sure that Hamas was not blamed. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also opted not to blame Hamas. Few years before, Calicut University authorities included ‘Ode To The Sea’, the poem authored by Al-Qaeda terrorist Ibrahim al-Rubaish, in the degree-level syllabus. It was removed later, when large-scale protests were unleashed by ABVP and BJP.
A couple of months before, a pro-Hamas convention was organised in the Malappuram district by Solidarity Youth Movement, Kerala, the youth wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, which was virtually addressed by Khaled Mashal, the former chief of the Hamas movement. There were reports that Mashal’s speech was to instigate Muslims against Jews and Hindus. He asked the gathering to extend support to Hamas. A shocking report suggests that the slogan “Uproot, Bulldozer Hindutva and Judaism” was raised in the meeting. Union Minister V Muraleedharan blamed CM Pinarayi Vijayan for permitting such a meeting. He added both LDF and UDF are equally responsible for the situation. Police try to simplify the issue.
The aforementioned exposes the vote bank politics in Kerala. The latest Intifada issue should be viewed against the backdrop of the imminent Lok Sabha polls, a device for catching the minority votes. There are allegations that CPM and SFI are now capable of influencing the extremist group.
Kerala University Vice Chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal said that he was not at all informed about the University Youth Festival. The decision was taken by the Varsity Students Union. Youth Festival is neither a riot, nor a war. Artistic Kerala names suit the University Youth Festival well. He said he did not know how did the Arab name come up.
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