Conspiracy to change communal balance of Kerala

Will Kodiyeri’s meeting get desired results?

Pioneer News Service | Thiruvananthapuram

State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will hold a high-level meeting of senior police officers and political leaders to find solutions to ease the prevailing tension in Malappuram district.

The likelihood of the meeting turning out a success is anybody’s guess and any prediction at this stage would be foolhardy.

The NDF, which according to senior police officers was fine tuning its modus operandi when it attacked Kottakkal police station, had brought in outsiders to test the system.

According to a social activist from Malappuram, who does not want to be named, “This is the beginning of what is in store for the future and it seems that the NDF is clearly testing the waters.”

“When pipe bombs were recovered and when cinema theatres were burnt in this district, the administration resorted to a callous attitude and this is the prime reason why such organisations have the guts to attack a police station,” he added.

Observers are of the opinion that there is nothing much Kodiyeri can do under the circumstances as the issue has turned communal. Unless the Home Minister monitors the situation closely and uses an iron hand to suppress this, then there could be more trouble as the manner in which the NDF people had attacked the Kottakkal police station was not a spontaneous one but a well chalked out plan and that was the cause of serious concern.

The only silver lining in Kodiyeri’s meeting will be that tensions between the Muslim League and the CPI(M) could be eased as he had held a detailed meeting with PK Kunhlakutty the former general secretary of the League who still has a say among the party cadre. According to recent intelligence inputs there is a concerted effort on the part of certain organisations to totally change the communal balance of the State and the epicentre of this top level plan lies in Malappuram district.

Muslim League State president Panakkad Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal who is a revered figure among the Muslims of the district has condemned the attacks in the district and had only the other day called upon all political parties to refrain from attacks which could spark off a communal war. This statement and the presence of Shihab Thangal in a joint meeting has done more to preserve the social fabric of Malappuram than the presence of the State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who does not hold much support in the district.

As the official representative of the State Government he can create a conducive atmosphere for future talks among the warring factions but the experience in Thalassery and Kannur district have given the lesson that unless the organisations involved in the clashes decides nothing can prevent the violence.

But as far as Malappuram district is concerned Shihab Thangal can indeed play a pivotal role in ending the mistrust among the communities.

Kodiyeri has told the Press that the Government would take stringent action against those involved and that the guilty would not be spared , but it is yet to be seen whether the minister can practically implement stringent measures in the district.

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