Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's recent remarks against Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal have ignited a fresh political controversy. Speaking at a campaign rally for P. Sarin, an independent candidate backed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the Palakkad by-election, Pinarayi criticized Thangal, suggesting that he was aligning with Jamaat-e-Islami. This comment drew immediate backlash from the opposition.
VD Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, accused Pinarayi of making derogatory remarks to appease the Sangh Parivar, particularly in response to recent statements by the BJP state president, who had expressed a desire to target Thangal. Satheesan argued that both the Chief Minister and the BJP were speaking in unison, suggesting a shared agenda against Thangal and the IUML.
The IUML’s Malayalam mouthpiece, *Chandrika*, strongly criticized Pinarayi’s remarks, claiming that the Chief Minister’s attempt to evaluate Thangal’s standing reflected the Left's growing alignment with communal forces. The editorial defended Thangal as a symbol of communal harmony in Kerala, accusing the Left government of inadvertently supporting efforts to create communal divisions in the state. It also questioned Pinarayi’s anger over Thangal's role in bringing former BJP leaders into secular politics, highlighting a perceived shift towards supporting communal forces.
The controversy underscores the complex and often contentious political dynamics in Kerala, where the IUML is a significant ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), and where the Left Front’s interactions with communal groups have long been debated.
