PDP, NDF together?

Immediately after his release from Coimbatore Central prison Abdul Nasser Madani was given a tumultuous welcome by his family, friends, relatives and his party in Thiruvananthapuram.

The crowd had thronged the Shankumugam beach just to listen to what he was speaking and among the most eager listeners was State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The CPI(M) on its eagerness to rope in Madani and his followers to the Left fold had sent senior leaders of the party to attend the function and Pinarayi Vijayan had even been to Coimbatore central jail when Madani was lodged there.

The first public speech of Madani was a calculated and sober one to make sure that the crowd still likes him or rather to prove that he is still a crowd-puller.

Unfortunately for a large gathering of Muslim youth who arrived at Shankumugham Beach to listen to him he was making peace even with his tormentors. Madani’s speech was taken with diverse opinions by the people who thronged the venue as well as those who are deeply immersed in the social and political scene of the State.

There were disappointments amongst the radical elements in the Muslim community and those who were close to Madani during the period before his sojourn in the Coimbatore prison were of the opinion that this Madani and his brand of politics will not have any takers in the State and that he would not be accepted.

In other words a Madani with a sophisticated tongue is not wanted in the highly polarised Muslim politics of the State where there is Kunhalikutty and the Muslim League for the soft and secular image.

Madani for one knows the sufferings in jail and does not want to repeat any of the old follies but some of his close

confidants who included certain former Maoist leaders from the Muslim community have persuaded him to join the aggressive Muslim politics of the State which was in fact his baby but now nourished and developed by the NDF.

According to sources in the PDP, there have been some rounds of talks between the PDP leaders including Madani and the NDF leaders. The NDF does have the cadre but no proper public face and they wanted Madani to take over the mantle of leadership.

The sources told The Pioneer that this agreement is almost final and that the immediate differences of opinion are being ironed out. It is in this context that the recent summersault of the CPI(M) with respect to Madani.

At the reception organised to Madani the other day at Kozhikode all the senior leaders of the CPI(M) kept off. This according to sources is due to the specific instructions communicated by the party State leadership. There were also reports that Madani had discussions with Jawahirulla the leader of the Tamil Muslim Munnetra Kazhakam (TMMK).

With Madani joining with the NDF the politics of the State can witness turmoil and the Central Intelligence Bureau officers are keeping their mouth shut regarding the latest developments.