Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has intensified his criticism of the Congress party alleging that Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is contesting the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami. In a Facebook post, Vijayan on Thursday alleged that the bypolls has “exposed the Congress party’s secular mask.”
Vijayan questioned the Congress’s alleged alignment with Jamaat-e-Islami noting that the organisation’s principles conflict with democratic values, as per a report on PTI. He alleged that Jamaat-e-Islami is influencing politics under the guise of the Welfare Party and referenced its actions in Jammu and Kashmir where he claimed the group initially opposed elections and then aligned with the BJP.
The controversy started after Welfare Party, an organisation linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, provided its support to Priyanka Gandhi, who is contesting against CPM candidate Sathyan Mokeri and BJP candidate Navya Haridas, as per India Today.
According to Vijayan, Jamaat-e-Islami’s objective in Kashmir was to unseat CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, a goal the BJP allegedly shared. He further claimed that despite this alliance, the people re-elected Tarigami.
Vijayan also criticised Congress’s alleged alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami in Wayanad contending that while the organisation in Wayanad claims to differ from its Kashmir counterpart, it still holds anti-democratic views. He questioned Congress’s secular commitment and urged the party to reject any alliance based on sectarianism.
Targeting the Congress, Vijayan, as per PTI, asked, “Shouldn’t those who stand for secularism oppose all forms of sectarianism?” “Can the Congress do that? The Congress and allies, including the Muslim League, seem to be making certain ‘sacrifices’ to maintain their alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami. Can the Congress reject Jamaat-e-Islami’s votes?”
Further, Vijayan drew a parallel to late Marxist leader EMS Namboodiripad, who once refused RSS support in a Thalassery by-election, and challenged Congress to take a similar stand against communal support.