Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said here on Wednesday (August 14, 2024) that the hate campaign the CPI(M) resorted to during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Vadakara was “akin to extremism.”
Mr. Satheesan told news reporters that the CPI(M) had “shamed even the Sangh Parivar” in its communal or hate campaign.
Referring to the police report submitted to the Kerala High Court about the controversial use of the word ‘kafir’ during the Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Satheesan said that United Democratic Front (UDF) had expected it. The police report had said the kafir reference to Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate K.K. Shailaja had first appeared on five social media pages supporting the CPI(M). They included Red Encounter, Porali Shaji, Ambadimukku Sakhakkal, and the Facebook wall of former MLA K.K. Lathika.
Mr. Satheesan said the CPI(M)‘s attempts to “create communal divide” in society by blaming the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) were exposed. “The CPI(M) has proved yet again that it will resort to any heinous act to garner some votes in the elections,” he said.
The CPI(M) had accused UDF candidate Shafi Parambil of leading a hate campaign by calling his rival candidate a kafir. “The social impact such a hate campaign created by the CPI(M) has caused should be examined deeply,” said the Leader of the Opposition.
‘Police are scared’
He called upon the CPI(M) to examine if such an “unconscionable act” was apt for a party which is in power in the State. “The police know who fabricated the kafir message. But they are scared. If investigated, the conspiracy could lead to senior leaders of the CPI(M),” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said the UDF would not compromise on the issue. “We will fight it legally until justice is delivered,” he said.
“The CPI(M) had tried to incriminate an innocent Muslim Youth League worker named Mohammed Kasim. His courage to produce his phone before the police and to face any investigation helped the truth to unravel,” he said.
He called upon the CPI(M) to apologise publicly and to bring the guilty before the law. “The CPI(M) should never ever resort to such a divisive tactic such as the ones used by the Sangh Parivar. I warn that it will be dangerous for society,” said Mr. Satheesan.
