Kozhikode: No one should attempt to ‘cleanse’ Jamaat-e-Islami, and it is not something that can be purified in that way, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday.

Speaking at ‘Meet the Press’ held in the district, Vijayan said, “Jamaat-e-Islami is an international organisation and adopts different positions in different places, but what they fundamentally hold is a pure form of religious extremism.”

“He pointed out that this is precisely why believers of all religions are prepared to oppose them. The CPM and the LDF have never, at any stage, adopted a stance favourable to Jamaat-e-Islami, and the position held earlier and now is that they are staunch communalists,” he added.

Regarding the Sabarimala gold smuggling case, the Chief Minister said that no one will be protected. From the very beginning, the government had made it clear that an effective investigation would take place, the Chief Minister claimed.

Matters related to CPM have already been clarified by the party, and there is no stance of protecting anyone as far as the party is concerned, he said. “Let the investigation proceed as it should. The government’s position is to extend every support needed to strengthen the probe. Currently, an investigative mechanism is in place under the supervision of the High Court. A highly precise investigation is underway, and the High Court has generally expressed satisfaction with it,” he added.

The Chief Minister added that previous experiences show that ED interventions have often occurred in various matters in the state, and they continue even now. He was responding to a question on whether the BJP is attempting to bring ED into the case.

“When an accurate investigation is already progressing here, there is no need for any other agency to intervene. As this is an investigation proceeding under the High Court’s oversight, the probe can be completed faultlessly. However, it is a reality that agencies like the ED may attempt to intervene with other motives; we have seen this in the past too. Even those who previously demanded a CBI probe have later accepted this investigative mechanism,” he added.

The Chief Minister said the Indian Union Muslim League is now functioning by adopting Jamaat-e-Islami’s leadership and asked why the League is failing to realise it. “The League’s top leadership preparing to give a good certificate to Jamaat-e-Islami is part of UDF politics,” he said.

“In Kerala, the UDF is sustained by the League, and these moves are being made merely to gain a few votes,” he added.

The Chief Minister, however, confirmed that he had earlier held a discussion with Jamaat-e-Islami leaders. “When they asked for an opportunity to communicate their views, we met at the CPM state committee office. However, no sort of good certificate was given during that meeting. I asked leaders of Solidarity, the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, who were also present, directly whether they were not the biggest anti-social elements,” the Chief Minister claimed.