People's Democracy

THE UDF leaders have by now made it clear that they require the BJP votes along with the help and votes from the extremist People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The leaders who have openly said to the press that the BJP and PDP votes would be welcomed by them as a measure to defeat the ruling LDF, include Thennala Balakrishna Pillai (KPCC president), K Sankara Narayanan (UDF convenor), K Karunakaran, and K M Mani, the Kerala Congress supremo. During the heydays of the infighting within the Congress party, Karunakaran had challenged A K Antony to deny that his closest aides had gone to the BJP leaders to canvass votes. Antony has not yet denied the statement.

Two very prominent UDF leaders, C P John and Sarathchandra Prasad, also went to the Coimbatore Central Jail to converse with PDP leader Abdul Nazar Madani. Their mission to the jail has not yet been publicised by the UDF. However, the people and the press know why the UDF leaders met Madani. It was for the votes of the PDP.

The only party that has not so far openly asked for the PDP-RSS votes is the IUML. But those who know the IUML’s credentials also know that it is not averse to taking or buying the communal votes. Moreover, the BJP has not put any candidate in Meppayur constituency where the IUML is contesting. So, the picture of the election alliance is clear in Kerala. Instead of a three-front contest, it is virtually a two-front contest that is taking place in Kerala.

CPI(M) state committee secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has demanded of the IUML supremo, Panakkad Shihab Thangal, to explain whether the extremist anti-communist and violent stand taken by E Ahamed and Dr M K Muneer is the official line of the IUML. He was addressing a press conference at the Calicut Press Club.

Vijayan also asked Thangal to clarify whether the IUML had decided to ignite the Nadapuram incident to take advantage in the ensuing election. A section of IUML workers are trying to escalate troubles in the Nadapuram area again. The January crisis in the area has been amicably settled by the timely interference of the authorities and the political parties.

Discarding all the settlements reached earlier, the IUML has again started attacking the life and property of the people belonging to the CPI(M). The palatial residence of a notorious pro-IUML criminal is headquarter of the assailants. A leader of the IUML’s youth wing and president of a local panchayat, Sooppy, was booked by the police while he was leading the hooligans and extremists of the IUML-UDF combine in the early hours one day. With him was arrested a Congress leader.

To a question why he said that a section of the IUML leadership was involved in attacking the people, Vijayan said it was the section led by E Ahmed and Dr M K Muneer that was provoding leadership to the assailants and hooligans. Vijayan asked Shihab Thangal to explain whether the attacks were being carried out as a policy of the IUML.

Below are given some important questions put forth by presspersons to the CPI(M) leader at the Calicut Press Club and the answers given by the latter.

Q: Kunhalikutty has also made the same demands put forward by Muneer?

Ans: Our statement is applicable to all who demand the release of the IUML culprits.

Q: Muneer has declared that he would quit politics if the allegation that he was out to foster a link with the BJP is proved true. What do you have to say in this regard?

Ans: In the last local body elections in the district panchayat constituency of Kolathara in Kozhikode district, there was no UDF candidate. There were only CPI(M) and BJP candidates. What has Muneer to say about this?

Q: Didn't you say that there was NDF-RSS involvement in the January incidents at Nadapuram?

Ans: Yes, of course. In the initial stages it was the NDF who instigated the trouble. But what did the IUML do? A section of them is trying to justify the NDF’s acts. It is this section that is adamantly arguing and propagating that the NDF did not have any role in the trouble.

Q: Why were the assailants of the earlier incidents not caught by the police? Is it due to the political influence over the police?

Ans: The bunch of trouble-makers and law-breakers was caught red-handed. You are missing the importance of this achievement. Their objective was to extend the crisis to an unsolvable stage. But this did not and could not happen. This is because our party has great influence in the society.

Q: Muneer has demanded a comprehensive judicial enquiry.

Ans: It is a tactics to delay the probe. The culprits should be prosecuted. They should be punished. The real culprits behind the trouble were caught by the police with blood-stained and lethal weapons and explosives. It is not an ordinary and normal incident. This is what has infuriated Muneer.

Q: Is there any attempt to communalise the Nadapuram issue?

Ans: Our party is there. We would not allow anybody to further worsen the situation there.