A day after Congress and Muslim League leaders alleged that CPI-M polit bureau member A Vijayaraghavan sought to provoke majority communalism through his statement, CPI-M leaders in Kerala came out in his support saying his statement was targeted Congress’s alliances with communal organisations like SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami through the Muslim league.

They said there was no communal stance in his statement.

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Vijayaraghavan has said that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi’s victory in Wayanad was due to the support of the Muslim communalists. Vijayaraghavan,while speaking at a CPI-M conference in Wayanad last week, stated that those at the forefront of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s rallies, included extreme elements espousing communalist agenda and terrorism. Fundamentalist votes catalysed the back-to-back victory of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency .

Coming out in support of the party polit bureau member, senior CPI-M leader and LDF convenor TP Ramakrishnan said on Monday that Vijayaraghavan’s criticism targeted Congress’s alleged alliances with organisations like SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami through the Muslim League. He said Vijayaraghavan was highlighting Congress’s alignment with communal forces. Accusing the SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami of advocating a religious state, Ramakrishnan said it is the Muslim league that ensures the presence of such forces within the UDF.SDPI activists were at the forefront of celebrations following the Congress’s win in Palakkad, he said.

CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan said what Vijayaraghavan said was accurate and alleged that communal forces like the SDPI and the Jamaat-e-Islami are acting like partners in the Congress-led UDF. He said the criticism against Jamaat-e-Islami could not be treated as against Muslim community. Opposing the RSS is not to be viewed as against the Hindus,” he added Senior CPI-M leader PK Sreemathy said Vijayaraghavan did not say anything against party policy. She said the CPI-M will take a strong stance against communalism, whether it is Muslim communalism or Hindu communalism. Stating that communal and extremist forces are gaining strength in Kerala, Sreemathy said they cannot be allowed to flourish in Kerala.