For Communists, supporting ‘Breaking India’ forces is rewarded, but praising nationalists and freedom fighters comes at a heavy price, whether in private or public conversations. This time, it is Shuhaib Mohammed, Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Venmoni Local Committee in Alappuzha district, who has been suspended for lauding Veer Savarkar and his role in India’s freedom struggle.
The suspension followed a voice message by Shuhaib, which has since gone viral on social media. He made the remarks during a CPI WhatsApp group discussion organised in connection with Independence Day. Acting swiftly, the Chengannur Mandal Committee of the Communist Party of India resolved to suspend him from the party.
Here is the nutshell of his talk:
Students of history cannot ignore the struggles of Savarkar for national independence. No senior Congress leader endured the kind of sacrifice that Savarkar did. Shuhaib said he did not mind being called a BJP man for making such comments. Savarkar was tied to heavy objects in jail and subjected to all kinds of torture. Even under such conditions, he nurtured patriotism and nationalism in the hearts of fellow prisoners. He was imprisoned for 14 years. Savarkar was not a small fry; he suffered far more than Congress leaders.
Shuhaib went on to say that before the seeds of BJP and Hindutva extremist movements were sown, there lived another Savarkar, an eminent scholar who espoused the idea of atheism. The portrayal of Savarkar shown in the Malayalam film ‘Kalapani’ was not a sham; it was rigorous imprisonment beyond what Congress leaders could even imagine.
He further said, inside the high-security Andaman jail, Savarkar sowed the seeds of nationalism among other inmates, which played a crucial role in strengthening the freedom movement. Not many leaders dared to challenge the British Empire and the Queen in their own country, but Savarkar did so while still a law student in Britain. His contributions, Shuhaib stressed, should not be ignored or denounced.
However, when the voice note went viral, Shuhaib alleged that his phone had been hacked. Members of the group reportedly remarked that the CPI leader might have claimed this only as a tactic to win the debate against the Congress leader.
The statement of the CPI leader is significant in light of the party’s long-standing anti-Savarkar stance, shared with other constituents of the INDI alliance. Naturally, Shuhaib’s remarks have caused considerable embarrassment to his party and to the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala. The CPI Alappuzha district secretary has stated that the party would look into the issue.
