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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused the Indian Union Muslim League of adopting a communal stand on various issues, but the IUML leadership countered the charges, saying nobody could ignore their contributions in retaining the "beauty" of the secular face of the southern state like this.
When Vijayan alleged that IUML was nowadays taking up the slogans of the Jamaat-e-Islami and Popular Front, Member of Parliament and IUML strongman P K Kunhalikutty made it clear that his party has never compromised its long-drawn secular stand on any issue. Lashing out at the opposition Congress-led UDF, in which IUML is a key partner, and the BJP, Vijayan said the right wing forces were yet to cope up with the fact that the Marxist party government has come to power in the state for the second consecutive time.
So they were unleashing a false propaganda campaign against the Left government and trying to communalise even small issues, he charged while inaugurating a party conference here. The UDF, BJP, Jamaat-e-Islami and all such groups were together in that move against the government, he alleged. Alleging that a deliberate attempt to communalise issues was being witnessed in the state, Vijayan said a 'politicised communalisation" was seen in the recent 'love Jihad' and 'halal' controversies.
"The IUML earlier had an understanding with the Jamaat-e-Islami and Popular Front. But that has changed and they are seen taking up the slogans of these two organisations nowadays. Those who want peace in that party should come out against this stand,"he said. However, Kunhalikutty rubbished the charges and said that the credit of all the achievements and developments, which Kerala boasts of now, goes to IUML also.
Stating that IUML was not a party which cultivates separatism, he also claimed that it even used to carry out campaigns to promote secularism along with its political activities. "The presence of IUML is one of the reasons for retaining the beauty of the secular face of Kerala like this among other states in the country. The people of the state are well aware about it," Kunhalikutty said. Stressing the point that secularism does not mean rejection of religion, he also said that religious faith and communalism should be viewed separately.
On its recent stiff protest against the Vijayan government's controversial decision to hand over the Waqf Board appointments to Public Service Commission, which was put on hold later, he said they could not compromise in infringing into the jurisdiction of the agency and the objection was part of a nation-wide fight.
-With PTI Inputs
