In what exposes the reality of the ruling CPI (M), it has been reported that Perambra police station registered a case against Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) / Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPIM] activists for allegedly promoting enmity between two groups. Cases were registered against Akhildas and 20 others under Section 153A for promoting enmity between two groups and attempting to cause a riot. The case has been registered in connection with the incident of pelting stones at a mosque in Perambra last week.
This exposes the “secular” tenets of the CPI (M). On one hand, the Communists claim that they believe in secularism and blame the BJP for communal riots and on the other hand, they indulge in such nefarious activities. What is particularly disturbing is the fact that this comes at a time when the state of Kerala is witnessing a surge in violence owing to the entry of two women in the Sabarimala shrine.
After a number of attempts at desecrating the shrine which has led to a massive controversy in the state, CPI (M) finally succeeded in defiling the sanctity of Sabarimala. In an act of desecration in the garb of devotion, two women in their 40s entered Sabarimala’s Sanctum Sanctorum before dawn, at about 3:45 AM on January 2, 2019. Under the protection of the police, the women dressed in black rushed hastily through and reportedly “prayed” to Bhagwan Ayyappa before returning. They faced no protests from devotees in that time of night and caught devotees and temple priests by surprise with their secretive act. This goes on to show how the CPI (M) chose to indulge in appeasement politics at a time when the state was already going through a tense situation.
After this incident of two women of menstruating age entering the temple, violent protests broke out in the state. The police have registered 801 cases of violence that broke out in the state after various organisations in Kerala called for a statewide shutdown of shops and establishments in a protest against the entry of two women. Moreover, 1369 people had been arrested and 717 detained till Friday morning in connection with cases of violence in the state. Thus, the despicable move of the CPI (M) has put the state in an extremely sensitive and tense situation. The CPI (M) government caused the desecration of the Sabarimala temple out of desperation to prove its secular tenets even though several review petitions have been filed before the apex court. The CPI (M) government was not ready to even wait for the apex court verdict and remained adamant on facilitating entry of all women to the shrine.
However, the CPI (M) has not given up on its insidious activities even after putting Kerala in such a tense situation. It is possible that the Communists might have realised, owing to the widespread protests that it is losing popularity in Kerala at an alarming rate. Therefore, its cadres are resorting to activities like stone pelting on mosques. The idea is to create communal tensions and riots and then resort to the narrative of blaming the BJP for such riots. The CPI (M) has been resorting to insidious activities and has also put communal harmony of Kerala in stake in a bid to retain popularity and stop the rise of BJP in Kerala.