In Kannur, Kerala, opposition leader VD Satheesan fired sharp criticism at the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), on Friday. He accused the party of flip-flopping on its politics—courting minorities for years before the last parliamentary elections, only to now chase majority support. “This shows they have no real commitment to secularism,” Satheesan told reporters.
Satheesan, who leads the United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition in Kerala, stressed that his alliance won’t budge on these issues. “Our stand on secularism stays the same—before elections, after them, and moving forward,” he said. He highlighted Kerala’s deep-rooted secular traditions, adding that both young and old generations will stand firm against divisive politics and back constitutional values.
The comments come amid tensions over communal influences in Kerala politics. Satheesan praised the Nair Service Society (NSS), a key community group, for making its own choices and resisting what he called communal infiltration. Still, he made it clear: the UDF will fight both majority and minority communalism head-on, no matter who pushes it. “We won’t compromise our secular principles for short-term gains,” he declared. The UDF has always championed Kerala’s secular legacy across generations, he added.
This all follows NSS General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair’s recent praise for the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. Nair commended their organization of the first Global Ayyappa Sangamam at Pampa—the gateway to the Sabarimala temple—on September 20. UDF leaders skipped the event, signaling their boycott of what they see as majority-focused initiatives.
In a separate jab at Kerala politics, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal slammed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the state’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. Speaking to reporters in Kannur, Venugopal said everyone in Kerala opposes the SIR process—except Vijayan, who keeps backing it. “The chief minister stands alone on this,” he noted, raising concerns about potential disruptions to voter rolls ahead of key elections.
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