Pinarayi denies CPM–Jamaat ties, accuses Congress of political alliance with outfit

Thrissur: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday asserted that neither the CPM nor the LDF has ever had any association with the Jamaat-e-Islami. He made the statement while rejecting the UDF’s allegation that the Left and the Muslim outfit had been political partners for decades.

“The Left Front has never had the misfortune of seeking votes from the Jamaat-e-Islami and has never given the Muslim outfit a ‘good certificate’. But there are some people now who are desperately trying to give a good certificate to the Jamaat-e-Islami,” the Chief Minister said at a press conference here.

He alleged that it is the Jamaat-e-Islami that shapes the political agenda of the Congress and even contributes to UDF poll campaigns.

The remarks came in response to a statement by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national general secretary PK Kunhalikutty, who had claimed that the CPM and the Jamaat-e-Islami have been linked for decades in a relationship that “cannot be severed easily.” IUML is a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF opposition.

Pinarayi dismissed the allegations, saying UDF and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders “will say anything,” and that their claims of CPM links with the outfit are baseless.

To support his argument, he outlined the political growth of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Kerala. According to him, the organisation entered electoral politics only in 1987—a period when the Left was not in power in the state.

He said that in 1987 the Jamaat-e-Islami had explicitly refused to vote for Marxist or “fascist” groups, making it clear that its support went to the Congress. In 1992, the Congress government at the Centre classified the Jamaat-e-Islami as a prohibited group, preventing it from supporting the party in 1996, he added.

“In subsequent years, the Jamaat-e-Islami adopted a candidate-based voting strategy and at times contested elections themselves. During the VS Achuthanandan government (2006–2011), the outfit’s youth wing, Solidarity, actively worked against the Left Front,” the Chief Minister added.

“So, we never had the misfortune of chasing their votes. We have also never given them a good certificate. But now, some are desperately trying to do so,” he said.

Pinarayi further alleged that both the Congress and the Jamaat-e-Islami engage in “opportunistic politics” and encourage communalism for political gain.

On Friday, the Chief Minister had said that the Jamaat-e-Islami and Hindutva organisations are “birds of the same feather,” and described the Congress’s alleged alliance with the Muslim outfit as “suicidal.”