Malappuram: The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is working overtime to shift the election narrative from anti-police sentiment in the state to the fight against communal and fascist forces at the national level.
The CPM-led front has sensed a strong anti-government sentiment, especially in the wake of the alleged police action against Jishnu Pranoy's mother in the capital earlier this week.
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Nehru Engineering College student Jishnu Prannoy's body was found in his college hostel creating a flutter in the state. His mother, who went to stage a sit-in in front of the state police chief's office, was meted out a rough treatment by cops.
The incident was exploited to the hilt by the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the constituency.
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Shifting the discourse
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's two-day constituency tour was laced with references to the fight against "fascist and communal forces nationally".
The Congress, he alleged, was shying away from fighting such forces and even though the Left parties does not have a pan-India presence, the saffron outfits fear only the secular forces-led by Left, Pinarayi stressed.
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It is evident from the statement that the LDF fears that a polarization of minority community voters would also trigger a reverse polarization by the majority community.
The LDF fears that this would consolidate Hindu votes, which would likely erode from its kitty and land up in the Sangh Parivar net.
The fear assumes significance in the wake of concerted efforts by a section of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to rally minority votes to it.
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Such a possibility would only help the BJP-led NDA, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran, who is camping in the constituency has warned.
CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on his part went a step ahead and even equated Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to IUML supremo Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal.
Kodiyeri even wanted the League to have a rethink about its name, an insinuation that the IUML itself is a communal party.
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"The IUML ploy to consolidate minority community votes would only help the BJP. But it would backfire on UDF as those opposed to such polarizing efforts in the League would back the LDF," Thalaserry MLA A.N. Shamseer told Onmanorama.
Shamseer, who is in charge of Vengara, the constituency represented by Kunhalikutty himself in the Assembly, says the IUML leader is touring the entire constituency gauging the mood of a tough fight the LDF candidate is posing.
Party veteran V.S. Achuthanandan arrives in Malappuram on Saturday for the campaign and the CPM aims to exploit his mass appeal to the hilt.
A crusader against communal forces and a tireless campaigner for the right's of women, VS' presence would also negate the bad press it gained after the police action against Jishnu Pranoy's mother, according to CPM leaders.
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VS had objected to it in no uncertain terms and even called up state police chief Loknath Behra to vent his anger.
The CPM is eagerly hoping that VS would be able to re-engineer the political discourse in the constituency in favor of the LDF.
Theatrics and charisma apart, that ain't an easy task.
Congress working committee member A.K. Antony is also arriving in the constituency on Saturday.
