Overview
- Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan called A. K. Balan’s reported claim that Jamaat-e-Islami would control Kerala’s Home Department under a UDF government “dangerous” and “communal.”
- Satheesan said the remark echoes Sangh Parivar tactics and likened it to Gujarat campaign messaging that invoked Ahmed Patel to consolidate votes through fear.
- He asked whether the CPI(M) officially endorses Balan’s view, urged the CPI to state its position, and said Kerala’s electorate would reject attempts at religious polarisation.
- Jamaat-e-Islami leaders urged CPI(M) to correct what they called a baseless statement, while Satheesan argued the group’s decades-long past support for the Left undercuts Balan’s claim.
- CPI(M) district secretary E. N. Suresh Babu distanced the party from a separate attack on CPI leader Binoy Viswam by a local CPI(M) functionary and reaffirmed LDF unity.