Priyanka Gandhi Contesting Wayanad Bypoll With Jamaat-e-Islami Backing: Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Ahead of the by-election to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is contesting the polls with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Earlier on Thursday, Vijayan, through a Facebook post, claimed that the by-election in Wayanad has "exposed the Congress party's secular mask completely."

"Priyanka Gandhi is running as a candidate there with the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami. So, what exactly is Congress's stance? Our country is not unfamiliar with Jamaat-e-Islami. Does that organisation's ideology align with democratic values?" he asked.

Claiming that Jamaat-e-Islami does not value the nation or its democracy and disregards the nation’s governance structure, the Kerala CM said the organisation was operating under the guise of political involvement through the Welfare Party, and this facade was evident in Jammu and Kashmir, news agency PTI reported.

'Jamaat-e-Islami Long Opposed Elections in J&K'

Vijayan alleged that Jamaat-e-Islami had long opposed elections in Jammu and Kashmir, advocating for strong sectarian positions. "Later, they aligned themselves with the BJP (in Kashmir)," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.

While referring to the recently-concluded Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections, the CPI (M) leader claimed that Jamaat-e-Islami planned to contest elections on three or four seats there, ultimately targeting the seat where CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami was contesting.

"The goal was to defeat Tarigami, and the BJP shared this objective. However, despite this alliance of extremists and the BJP, the people chose Tarigami," the CPI(M) veteran said. He said the Jamaat-e-Islami in Wayanad claims to be different from the Jamaat-e-Islami in Kashmir. "However, the ideology remains the same--one that does not accept any form of democratic governance. This time, they feel like supporting the Congress-led UDF," he said.

Dropping the bombshell, Vijayan asked, "Shouldn't those who stand for secularism oppose all forms of sectarianism?" "Can the Congress do that? The Congress and allies, including the Muslim League, seem to be making certain 'sacrifices' to maintain their alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami. Can the Congress reject Jamaat-e-Islami's votes?," he asked.

The CPI(M) Politburo member urged Congress leaders to recall a statement by the late Marxist leader EMS Namboodiripad, underlining his firm stance against communal alliances. He said in a by-election in Thalassery, EMS had openly stated, "We do not want RSS votes." Referring to this example, Vijayan questioned whether Congress could take a similarly principled stand.

Vijayan made similar allegations while addressing a by-election meeting in support of the Left candidate in Wayanad, CPI's Sathyan Mokeri. Kozhikode Corporation Councillor Navya Haridas is the BJP candidate in the hill constituency.

The Wayanad by-election was planned after Rahul Gandhi , who won seats in both Wayanad and Raebareli, chose to vacate the Wayanad seat. The by-election will be held on November 13.

Interestingly, Priyanka Gandhi, in her election campaign so far, has targeted her attacks solely on the BJP, avoiding any criticism of the Left Democratic Front or its leaders.

(With PTI inputs)