The wrangling over the conflation of Koran and electoral politics occupied mainstream parties in Kerala on Sunday.
The Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] accused each other of dragging the holy text into the heart of political disputes ahead of the local body elections.
The parties appeared to agree that the move could roil society and give an unwanted communal edge to the battle for votes. However, they seemed to be in bitter disagreement over who had crossed the Rubicon.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sought cover behind the haloed tradition of gifting Koran to fend off accusations of wrongdoing by Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel.
Two Central agencies had questioned Dr. Jaleel for accepting Koran and dates from the UAE consulate under the guise of Ramzan charity. The question remained whether the gifts were a cover for gold smuggling. Mr. Vijayan had often stoked up Hindu majoritarian sentiments and minority radicalism on the eve of elections, he said.
BJP State president K. Surendran said Mr. Vijayan had distorted the criticism against Dr. Jaleel. The Chief Minister had portrayed awkward questions against the government as an assault on religious tradition. Mr. Vijayan’s words had scared the UDF. Its leaders had scurried for cover fearing an erosion of votes.
The CPI(M) targeted IUML leader P.K. Kunhalikutty, MP. He had returned to State politics recently to head the party’s election campaign. The CPI(M) said Mr. Kunhalikutty had trifled with the welfare of lakhs of Keralites employed in the UAE by unfairly criticising the friendly nation of abetting smuggling.
The UAE had Customs approval to gift imported Koran and dates to needy families via the State’s Minority Welfare Department during Ramzan.
The IUML has countered the CPI(M)’s charges. It had asked Mr. Vijayan to apologise for bandying about the reverence for Koran to defend Dr. Jaleel. The issue is not about faith or religion. It was plainly about using diplomatic goodwill as a cover for wrongdoing, the IUML had said. The debate is likely to preoccupy political parties in the election year.