The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition seems to have survived a crucial political stress test.
By rejecting the Communist Party of India (Marxist)‘s invitation to participate in a seminar on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Kozhikode on Saturday, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) appeared to have ushered in a rare period of political insulation from the ruling Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) alleged machinations to engineer defections and sow disarray in the UDF.
A UDF insider said IUML’s spurning of the CPI(M) had historical precedent and was no surprise for the Congress.
He noted that the IUML faced a more politically fraught situation post the Babri Masjid demolition under the Congress government’s watch at the Centre in 1992. Nevertheless, despite duress from the CPI(M) and several Muslim organisations, the IUML refused to forsake the UDF.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran struck a triumphant note by stating that the IUML had, predictably, seen through the CPI(M)‘s gambit to use the UCC debate as a wily pretext to sow divisions in the UDF.
The IUML’s shutting the door on the CPI(M)‘s overtures will likely come at some cost for the Congress at the UDF’s crucial leadership conclave next week.
By some accounts, the IUML will persuade the Congress to announce high-profile and more strident national-level protests against the UCC “imposition” to help the UDF sustain its traditional sway over Muslim voters, a crucial electoral bloc, in Kerala.
Centre’s agenda
CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan hinted that the LDF would continue to up the ante in the battle for the traditionally pro-UDF minority votes, despite IUML’s recalcitrance. Mr. Govindan said the Centre’s attempt to trample down on Muslim personal laws to further its Hindu majoritarian agenda remained painfully close to the heart of the minority community. He said the IUML’s political decision to disregard the CPI(M)‘s anti-Hindutva campaign would not alleviate the anguish.
BJP State president K. Surendran adopted a different tack to consolidate Hindu votes in Kerala by accusing the Congress and the CPI(M) of “appeasement politics.” He accused the UDF and the LDF of injecting communalism into the UCC debate in an apparent bid to blunt the Congress-CPI(M) campaign against the shortcomings of the Central government, including “trespasses on federalism.”
