CPI-M General Secy waging covert war against RSS out of fear of Kerala cleric: BJP

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 4 (IANS) BJP National Executive Member Kummanam Rajasekharan on Friday accused the CPI-M General Secretary M.A. Baby of waging a covert war against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) out of fear of Sunni Muslim leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, and challenged him to directly confront Kanthapuram over his controversial remarks on women.

Kummanam said that if Baby genuinely disagreed with Kanthapuram's remarks, he should have the courage to state his position openly instead of dragging the RSS into the controversy and making what he described as "blatant lies" and "factually baseless" allegations against the organisation.

"At a time when strong criticism is being raised across Kerala against Kanthapuram's anti-women positions, Baby is unable to confront the issue and is instead trying to drag the RSS into the controversy," the BJP leader alleged.

He described the move as despicable political hypocrisy and alleged that it was part of a politics of appeasement aimed at securing minority votes.

Kummanam said political interests should not be allowed to divert the debate away from the controversial remarks themselves.

The BJP leader's attack comes as Kanthapuram, in a social media post, appealed to his followers and workers to maintain restraint and not fall prey to provocation.

Though he did not name either Baby or the RSS, Kanthapuram said attempts were being made to deliberately turn spiritual discussions into controversy and division.

"Discussions should serve as healthy platforms for evaluating ideas impartially and learning new things," Kanthapuram said, while warning against what he described as vested interests attempting to divert such discussions towards controversy and social division.

He urged his workers not to react emotionally and called for maturity and wisdom in dealing with the situation.

Kanthapuram also said the Sunni tradition had always been to confront evil with goodness and called upon his followers to move ahead with discipline and restraint.

The social media post has come amid a political controversy over Kanthapuram's observations on women, which have drawn criticism in sections of Kerala society.

Rather than directly addressing the criticism, Kanthapuram's latest message focuses on what he portrays as attempts to exploit spiritual discussions to create division.

Kummanam, however, sought to keep the spotlight on the substance of the controversy, saying that Baby should make his position on Kanthapuram's remarks clear instead of turning the issue into an attack on the RSS.

The BJP leader also accused the CPI-M of resorting to minority appeasement for electoral and political gains.

He said that if Baby disagreed with Kanthapuram's position, he should say so openly rather than diverting the debate.

The exchange comes at a time when the CPI-M, the RSS and Muslim religious organisations are once again locked in a politically charged debate over questions of gender, social reform and communal polarisation in Kerala.

Kummanam's remarks are likely to add another political dimension to the controversy, with the BJP seeking to turn the focus on what it sees as the CPI-M's reluctance to directly confront Kanthapuram.