Prakash Karat, former General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a member of its Politburo, was in Kollam to campaign for LDF candidates. Here are excerpts from his interview.

Q: What underpins the expectation that the LDF will return to power for a third consecutive term?
A: While communal polarisation and riots have occurred in many parts of the country, Kerala has remained free of such conflicts for the past 10 years. The people want the LDF to return to power for a third consecutive term because the state government has stood firm against the authoritarian tendencies of Hindutva politics.

Q:What is your take on the opposition’s attempt to make the Sabarimala gold theft case a major election issue?
A: This issue was already discussed during the last local body elections. A Special Investigation Team, operating under the High Court's supervision, is probing the matter. The LDF’s position is clear: anyone found guilty must face the law. Neither the CPM nor the LDF will protect anyone involved. The High Court itself has stated that the investigation is satisfactory. The facts of the case are being presented to the public, and it is ultimately for the people to decide.

Q: The opposition alleges an understanding between the LDF and the BJP. How do you respond to this?
A: The UDF and the Congress are attempting to undermine the LDF’s secular position in order to secure minority votes. The Congress is clearly trying to create a smokescreen. If one examines Kerala’s electoral history, it is the UDF that has often aided the BJP. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won Thrissur with the help of UDF votes.

Q: The BJP’s agenda is ‘Congress-free Bharat.’ If they pursue this in Kerala, wouldn’t it end up benefiting the LDF?
A: The BJP’s slogan as well as intention go beyond ‘Congress-free Bharat’ and are really about creating an ‘Opposition-free Bharat.’ When the BJP came to power in Tripura in 2018, Narendra Modi described it as an ideological victory over the communists. Both the RSS and the BJP consider communists their adversaries and have consistently tried to eliminate us.

Q: Hasn’t the SDPI-LDF connection been a matter of controversy?
A: That's just an issue fabricated by the opposition. The CPM and the LDF have a clear stance on such organisations. Just as we view Hindu right-wing groups like the RSS as a challenge, the party and the coalition view Muslim communal organisations in the same way. If the SDPI supports any candidate, we have nothing to do with it.