‘Muslim Extremist Outfits Are Backing Maoists In Kerala’: Claims CPI (M) Leader

A Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] leader on Monday (18 November) stirred a controversy by claiming the Maoists in Kerala are being supported by some Muslim extremist outfits, Hindustan Times reported.

Party’s Kozhikkode district secretary P Mohanan, speaking at a party event in Thamarassery, said that some Kozhikkode-based Muslim extremist organisations were backing Maoists in north Kerala and sought police probe in the matter.

“We have information that some Muslim extremist outfits are supporting Maoists in north Kerala. There is a new-found bonhomie between them. Some Kozhikkode-based extremist organisations are behind this. We need police to probe this,” he said, adding, “Muslim extremist outfits are providing water and manure to Maoists.”

Although, Mohanan did not name any outfit but his comments became significant as they came days after the death of four Maoists in an encounter with the police and the imposition of the Unlawful Prevention of Activities Act (UAPA) on two CPI (M) volunteers arrested for alleged Maoist links.

Taha Fazal and Alan Shuhaib were arrested under the UAPA by the state police recently for distributing Maoist pamphlets, and four Maoist men, including a high-ranking leader Manivasagam, were killed in Palakkad forests in an encounter last month. Both the events received strong opposition from the Left intellectuals and CPI (M) supporters.

The remarks also found resemblance with the long-made claims of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state. “We have been saying this for quite some time. During day time they will be CPI (M) workers but at night they turn workers of fundamentalist outfits. We are happy the party realised this at least now,” said BJP leader K B Gopalakrishnan.

The Left party that had alleged the encounter to be a fake one and had also criticised the slapping of UAPA on its cadres, sided itself from Mohanan’s views.

“I do not know in which context he mixed both. We never heard of any such theory. Our party feels bullets are no answer for ideological and political differences” CPI (M) secretary Kanam Rajendran said after calling on the family Alan Shuhaib, one of the youth arrested under UAPA.