“We are more valuable to the Marxists than the CPI”- Says Jihadi Terrorists

PNS | Malappuram

The
clever move of the official leadership of the CPI(M) to induct Abdul
Nasser Madani’s PDP formally into the ruling LDF is still in the
initial stages, but the Islamist organization has already started
acting like a front constituent, and that too defiantly. In a direct
attack against the CPI, the second largest LDF constituent, the PDP had
alleged that it had not polled its party votes for Left Independent
candidate Hussein Randathani in Ponnani constituency.

The
camaraderie between the PDP and the official CPI(M) faction headed by
State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had started from Muslim-majority
Ponnani seat. The CPI(M) had forged this alliance by antagonizing the
CPI, an act which surprised political Kerala. The Marxists placed the
PDP, whom the CPI still considered a communal party, above all other
LDF constituents, and had indicated clearly to the CPI that it could
desert the LDF if it did not like the alliance.

Charged with the
spirit of this reassuring move of the CPI(M), the PDP had started to
take on the CPI even during the campaign for the polls. Madani’s party
is now attacking the CPI, saying they were sure the communist party had
not polled its votes in the Left candidates favour.

A
Malappuram district leader of the PDP told The Pioneer that they had
conducted a detailed study of the voting pattern in the various polling
booths in Ponnani and they were convinced that the CPI had not voted
for Randathani. He, however, could not confirm whether the CPI votes
were polled in favour of UDF’s Muslim League candidate ET Muhammad
Basheer.

“We have information, even from within the CPI, that
their votes were not polled for the Left candidate. They had acted thus
because of their anger at losing the seat they used to contest. We will
take this up with the LDF leadership,” the PDP man said, as though he
was confident that the LDF leadership was duty-bound to listen to the
PDP observation.

“The CPI’s State council and secretariat
meetings had reviewed the poll situation last week. These meetings had
formed an idea about the seats the LDF could win but Ponnani is not on
that list. This also proves that they had not voted for Randathani,” he
said.

However, the CPI leadership preferred to neglect the
attack from the PDP. CPI leaders, including its Malappuram district
secretary V Unnikrishnan, was of the stand that they were not obliged
to give explanation to the PDP, which had nothing to do with the
affairs in the LDF as it was not a front partner.

“Let the PDP
say whatever they want. Anybody can say anything. But we do not accord
any seriousness to that because this is a matter exclusively for the
LDF. The LDF has an efficient machinery to find out which party voted
for whom. If any doubts arise about this that would be discussed in the
LDF and not with the PDP,” said a CPI leader.

This leader agreed
that the PDP could be talking in such a defiant tone s it might have
got some assurances from the CPI(M) that they would be formally
inducted into the LDF. “But that is not all that simple,” he aid,
adding that the CPI(M) could think of such a move only if it wanted to
destroy the Left front.

However, local leaders of the PDP in
Ponnani, where their candidate had polled more than 47,000 votes in the
2004 Lok Sabha election, were of the opinion that the CPI was living in
a fool’s paradise.

“Why can’t they understand the message the
CPI(M) was giving it while taking over the Ponnani seat from it for
Randathani? We were reluctant to admit it then, but now I can tell you
that Randathani was indeed a nominee of our Ustad (Madani). The CPI(M)
was then ready to agree to this nomination even by taking over the seat
from the CPI. It should understand that that we are more valuable to
the Marxists than the CPI,” said a local PDP leader in Ponnani.

Observers
say that defiance in the voice of the PDP leaders was a clear
indication that a restructuring in the LDF is imminent. They are of the
opinion that if the CPI wants to avoid bigger surprises later it would
have to make some intelligent moves now.