For this CPM MP, Modi is a model

Gujarat Chief
Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi is still a ‘hated person’ for the
communists of the country officially, but not all CPI(M) men think so. Kerala
CPI(M)’s Young Turk AP Abdullakkutty, party MP from Kannur, sprang a surprise on
Sunday by stating that Kerala should emulate the model of Modi in the matters of
development.

The young communist, who differed with his party and its
bosses on a host of issues, made this statement which was sure to spark off a
long and controversial debate in the CPI(M) in the coming days at a
meet-the-Press programme organised by the Indian Media Forum in Dubai.

A
news portal quoted Abdullakkutty as saying Modi had taken Gujarat far ahead of
the other States in development with efficient and effective policies and their
implementation. “How Modi had attracted into Gujarat the Tata Group which had
withdrawn the Nano car project from West Bengal (another state ruled by the
Marxists) is an excellent example of this. Therefore Kerala should take lessons
from him,” the portal quoted Abdullakkutty as saying.

“Kerala is way
behind (other States) in attracting investors. Unnecessary hartals, lack of
infrastructure facilities and wrong development policies are some of the reasons
for this. But Narendra Modi is far ahead (of other States) in attracting
investors and giving them the required assistance,” said
Abdullakkutty.

To a question whether it was appropriate for a Marxist
like him to extol a person like Narendra Modi, whom the CPI(M) saw as a Hindu
communalist, Abdullakkutty said there is no need to worry about such things. “We
need not look at such things,” he said, adding Modi was a great success as far
as matters of development were concerned.

Abdullakkutty belongs to a
party that sees Modi as a right wing Hindu fundamentalist, and his statement at
Dubai is bound to create a storm in the party in the coming days. The young MP
is already an enfante terrible for the official leadership of the CPI(M) due to
his open declarations of faith in religion and God and several other matters. He
had first attracted the ire of his party leaders by publicly speaking against
hartals.

He had sparked off debates in the CPI(M) by performing Umrah at
Mecca and then openly admitting his faith through the media. He also sprang a
surprise by appearing for Namaz at an Idgah in Kannur on the last Id-ul Fitr day
and repeated the same for the recent Id-ul Azaha.

He had once shocked
the party by saying that he, being a communist, had not performed ‘Mayyath
Namaskaram’ (paying tribute to the dead near the mortal remains) when his mother
died but was disappointed to see the leaders who taught him this performing it
when their relatives had died.

Responses