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By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,

Kollam/Malappuram: The decision of independent MLA Manjalamkuzhi to
cut ties with the CPI (M) and to resign his MLA post has created a new
head-ache for the party. While many senior leaders such as the party
general secretary and state ministers responded to Ali’s decision
harshly, Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan yesterday asked Ali to change
his decision. However, Ali replied that he was not willing to make any
change and that he would continue with his decision to resign the MLA
post.

The decision of Manjalamkuzhi Ali was unfavourable and Ali should be
ready to change it, said Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan yesterday in
Kollam. Ali had contributed a lot to the organisation, though he was not
a member of the party. His works have been helpful in giving a big blow
to the Congress and the Muslim League in Malappuram. Ali’s help has
been good to the party. But his present stand is weakening to the left
parties and helping the UDF. This makes undone all the good deeds that
he had done, he added. He was speaking at a programme organized by the
Kollam Press Club.

VS said that he did not consider much Ali’s view that he had to face
problems because of his close relations with the former. He added that
he did not criticize Ali for such thoughts. Mr Achuthanandan rejected
the analysis that leaders from minority communities were leaving the
party. All cannot be made MLA or MP. Decisions are made by the party
according to the specific circumstances in each time, he reminded.

Manjalamkuzhi Ali stated that there was no change in his decision to
resign his MLA post. He was responding to the query of media persons
regarding the statement of VS. Meanwhile, Ali will hold a meeting
explaining his politics on October 17 (Sunday) at 4 pm. Ali is expected
to speak about his political career as well as the circumstances that
led to the resignation. MP Veerendrakumar will deliver the chief
address.

Ali, who had represented the Mankada constituency in Malappuram in
the Assembly as an independent supported by the CPI (M), decided to cut
all ties with the party reportedly out of ‘insults from the party
leaders’. He announced his decision to resign his MLA post as well as
several other posts on October 11 in a press conference held at his
house in Malappuram. He also made it clear that he was not joining any
party, but rather would continue his social work as an independent.

A sign of minorities leaving the CPI (M)?

The decision of Ali to leave the CPI (M) is seen as the latest among
the bidding farewell of several leaders in the party belonging to the
minority communities. The trend was begun by AP Abdullakkutty, former MP
of Kannur, who rose to heights in the party through the SFI and the
DYFI. He left the party following his controversial praise of the
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Next was the turn of Dr KS Manoj
who had defeated senior Congress leader VM Sudheeran in Alappuzha. The
decision of some leaders to leave the party gradually led to the
departure of other political parties from the LDF. MP Veerendrakumar
left his own party Janata Dal (S) and the LDF and is now in the UDF with
a new party. The Indian National League which has been with the LDF
since its formation has now left it for good as the LDF was not ready to
take the party into the alliance even after 14 years of cooperation.
INL is now with the UDF, though a group chose to continue with the LDF
namely INL (Secular). The People’s Democratic Party had helped the LDF
in the last Parliamentary elections. But the party gradually went away
from the front after the elections and the gap increased very badly by
the arrest of the party chairman Abdunnasir Maudany by the Karnataka
police with the help of the Kerala police. Now the PDP is contesting the
local body elections alone, without making alliance with any party. The
Jamat e Islami had supported the LDF in the last Assembly and
Parliament elections. But the organisation has gone too far away from
the LDF and it is contesting the local body elections under the banner
of the Janakeeya Vikasana Munnani.

The departure of the Kerala Congress (Joseph group) was a big blow to
the LDF as it meant a large erosion of the Christian votes. It was also
helpful for the UDF as the party merged itself in the Kerala Congress
(Mani group), thus making the party the second biggest party of the
alliance in the Assembly. There were also reports of pastoral letters
being read out in the churches warning the believers not to vote for the
communists and atheists. If all this meant the loss of Christian votes,
the loss of Muslim votes was revealed by the departure of the INL and
estrangement of the PDP and the Jamat e Islami from the LDF. The recent
policies followed by the CPI (M) appeasing the Hindutva forces can also
be read along with this. The Chief Minister and Home minister had made
remarks which were seemingly anti-Muslim during the controversy
following the hand-chopping incident.

The party which had once been the hope of the labourers and working
class as well as the downtrodden Dalit sections is now apparently
estranged from all them. The leftist parties are losing support of these
traditional vote-banks. At the same time, the UDF which is said as
rightist is now gaining the support of some of these sections. As Ali
said, the left has become more right and the right has become more left
in Kerala.