Criticism against Sadiq Ali Thangal: CPM's target is Muslim League and votes

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM's aggressive attack on the League, even reaching the Panakkad family, is seen as a political strategy to influence the voting outcome. The main reason for the decline in Hindu votes for the Left in the Lok Sabha elections is believed to be the campaign of ‘minority appeasement’. This is especially true among the Ezhava votes, which form the party's core support base. Through criticism, Chief Minister and CPM are aiming to break the League's efforts to unify the Muslim community and to reclaim the lost name over the ‘Muslim appeasement’ narrative.

The CPM had assessed that weakening the League was crucial following their defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. It had evaluated that the Muslim League can unite all Islamic organisations under its banner. So if the party does not take steps to weaken the League's dominance, it cannot make inroads into the section. The party has also accused the League of no longer opposing minority communalism as it once did.

League's political strategy

The League's efforts to reach a consensus on issues like the Munambam matter are seen by the CPM purely as a political strategy. Taking all these factors into account, the CPM has escalated its criticism, even targeting the Panakkad family, attempting to establish that the League is no longer what it was once and that Sadiq Ali Thangal's stature no longer holds the same significance. The aim is to portray the League as a coalition of communal organisations and to challenge its secular stance.

The alliances believe that minority votes can influence election results. With Kerala Congress (M) shifting towards the Left, the LDF managed to make some gains among Christian voters. The election campaign was primarily focused on influencing the Muslim vote, with key issues such as Palestine and the Citizenship Amendment Act being highlighted. Attempts were made to even bring the League into the fold.

However, the backlash from the minority appeasement campaign by the opposition resulted in a division of majority votes. Learning from this, no one, including the Chief Minister, raised the Palestine issue during by-elections. The CPM sees the League’s consensus-building attempts, including the Munambam issue, purely as a political maneuver.