The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, on Friday launched a blistering political attack, branding Jamaat-e-Islami and Hindutva forces as “birds of the same feather” and accusing the Congress of forging a “suicidal alliance” with the Islamist outfit for electoral gain.
Speaking at a Meet the Press event in Ernakulam, Vijayan said Jamaat-e-Islami has long sown ideological divisions across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, claiming its founder Abul A’la Maududi’s teachings mirror those of extreme right-wing religious nationalists. He argued that political Islamists and Hindutva ideologues share a core agenda: religion-based nationalism and governance dictated by faith – an approach he compared to Mussolini and Hitler.
Vijayan alleged that despite publicly posturing as adversaries, Jamaat-e-Islami and Hindutva organisations have secretly explored cooperation. As evidence, he cited the 2011 launch of the Welfare Party of India – Jamaat’s political wing – where the only outsider present was a BJP Minority Morcha leader. He further claimed the group discussed strategy with the RSS in 2023 and pointed to the Jammu & Kashmir elections as an instance of covert BJP-Jamaat coordination against CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami.
The chief minister argued that most Kerala Muslim communities – including Sunnis, Mujahids and other groups – do not recognise Jamaat-e-Islami, and warned that Congress voters would reject its ideology. “The UDF is trying to please both Jamaat and the BJP. They are pawning the peace and secularism of the state,” he said.
While Vijayan went on to outline the Left government’s achievements in welfare, food distribution and urban development, his sharpest warning was reserved for national politics. In the current climate, he said, defending secularism and federalism is crucial – and Kerala must stand firm.
He urged voters to uphold these values in the coming elections, asserting that the LDF remains committed to protecting Kerala’s unique secular fabric.
Source: NDTV