P Jayarajan, senior CPM leader and Khadi Board Chairman, says that Abdul Nasar Madani unleashed Muslim extremism in the state after the Ayodhya demolition (1992). Jayarajan discloses this in his book “Keralam, Muslim Rashtriyam, Rashtriya Islam” (“Keralam, Muslim Politics, Political Islam”) which is going to hit the stands shortly. He refers to Islamic State, Abdul Nasr Madani and Muslim extremism. He alleges that after the Ayodhya demolition, lecture series were organised throughout the state under the leadership of Abdul Nasr Madani. The idea was to promote and fan the extremist thoughts and radicalise the Muslim youths. Madani made emotionally charged speeches and tried to influence the Muslim youths and propagate extremism.
P Jayarajan alleges that Madani launched Islamic Sevak Sangh (ISS) in 1990 as a ‘Muslim version of RSS’. He (Madani) used that platform for radicalising Muslim youths.
Jayaraj referred to the infamous Poonthura (Thiruvananthapuram) communal riot of July 1992. He reminisces about the ISS march to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, one of those days and, the provocative slogans the marchers shouted and the inflammatory speech of Madani. Justice Aravindaksha Menon, who enquired into the riot, had stated in his report that there was a huge stock of arms and ammunition in the area. And, it was not found out by the Police. ISS had plotted attacks in Jonaka Poonthura where Hindus were the majority, says Jayarajan.
Jayarajan opines that Muslim radicalism developed in the state in the aftermath of the Ayodhya demolition. But, in fact, the Ayodhya demolition was on December 6, 1992, whereas the Poonthura riots took place in July of that year. The riot broke out when Islamic fundamentalists attacked an RSS Sakha in Poonthura.
Jayarajan writes that a lot of youths were radicalised, thanks to Madani’s speeches. That is why people consider Madani as the Ambassador of extremism. Jayarajan alleged that Madani invited the wrath of the members of his own community for his speeches and activities; hence, he dissolved ISS and launched the Peoples Democratic Party with a wide range of organisational plans.
Jayarajan says that Madani’s nine-year imprisonment in Coimbatore and allegations of extremism against him led to a sympathy wave in his favour.
The then CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan shared a dais with Madani in Ponnani, Malappuram district, during the Lok Sabha election campaigns in 2019. CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) displayed Madani’s image in the election posters. They were controversial in those days. Jayarajan’s book says that Madani’s speeches inflamed the Muslim extremist emotions.
Jayarajan’s disclosures are really surprising to the Keralites. Because, he is one of the tallest leaders of Kannur district, the strongest unit of CPM in the entire country. He is one of the Jayarajan trio of the district, next only to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. E P Jayarajan and M V.Jayarajan are others in the trio. The trio was a group of blue-eyed boys of Pinarayi. But, recently, E P Jayarajan and P Jayarajan fell out with their leader Pinarayi and those issues were widely discussed in the public domain and media abundantly.
P Jayarajan refers to several issues that happened in the past, from 1990 to 2010. At that time, P Jayarajan was very much one of the senior lieutenants of Pinarayi. In another word, he was a part of the CPM’s party policies in those days.
Right-thinking people in Kerala appreciate Jayarajan’s initiative to disclose some truths, especially the radicalisation drive of Madani with youths as the target group. Thadiyantavide Nazeer was one of those who had been ‘initiated’. Now, this Kannur native is behind bars, as a convict, in connection with several terrorist and criminal cases including the Kashmir recruitment case, the Bengaluru blast case of 2008, (former Chief Minister and late CPM leader) E K Nayanar murder attempt case, jewellery robbery (to make money for terrorist activities), Kozhikode twin blast case, Kalamassery (Kochi) bus burning case. He is known as the South Indian Commander of the Pak-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. He is a former PDP man. He had been convicted of life imprisonment in connection with the Kashmir recruitment case.
Now, the people of Kerala and political observers are waiting for further developments once Jayarajan’s book reaches the readers. People wait and see if it is going to create tremors in CPM.
