Parody song row puts CPI(M) on defensive in Kerala, sparks double standards debate

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17 Even as the local body election dust settles, a political parody song has triggered an uncomfortable debate for the CPI(M) on faith, free expression and ideological consistency.

The song “Pottiye, Kettiye…”, mocking the Sabarimala gold-smuggling controversy, continues to dominate victory rallies and social media, turning a campaign-time jibe into a wider political and ideological flashpoint.

Used by the Congress, Muslim League and BJP during the local body polls, the parody gained fresh momentum after the results, travelling from street processions to the UDF protest venue outside Parliament.

Its catchy refrain -- ridiculing the alleged conversion of “gold into copper” -- struck a chord with voters but appears to have rattled the Left, which now argues that the song hurts religious sentiments by misusing sharanam chants associated with Lord Ayyappa.

Rajya Sabha member and CPI(M) leader A.A. Rahim alleged that while the Left focused on welfare schemes and pensions, the Congress sought to communalise the campaign through faith-based messaging and parody songs.

Echoing this line, CPI(M) Pathanamthitta district secretary Raju Abraham said devotional songs of any religion should not be turned into parodies as it wounds religious feelings.

These assertions, however, have revived memories of the party’s own hardline stance on religion.

Critics recall that in 2006, the CPI(M) publicly censured its MLAs M.M. Monai and Aisha Potti for taking an oath in the name of God in the Assembly.

Then state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had accused them of humiliating the party by openly expressing faith, with the state committee reiterating that adherence to dialectical materialism was non-negotiable.

Both leaders were subsequently sidelined, a fate several party members are said to have faced for practising religious customs.

Opposition leaders have also pointed out that CPI(M)-backed Kairali TV had aired a similar political parody during K. Karunakaran’s tenure as Chief Minister, when an Ayyappa devotional tune was adapted for satire and widely accepted by the public.

The current controversy has also acquired a legal dimension, with the Thiruvabharanam Patha Protection Committee filing a complaint with the DGP alleging misuse of devotional content.

Meanwhile, social media has revived older Ayyappa-themed political satires from the 1990s, underscoring Kerala’s long tradition of political humour.

Adding to the irony, two senior CPI(M) leaders -- former Devaswom Board presidents A. Padmakumar and N. Vasu -- remain in judicial custody in the Sabarimala gold case, with no disciplinary action yet taken by the party.

The Congress has mocked the CPI(M) for shedding “crocodile tears” over a parody while remaining silent on the alleged theft of Ayyappa’s gold.

As the song continues to trend, the controversy raises a deeper question for the Left: can a party that once punished expressions of faith within its ranks convincingly claim moral outrage when religion is invoked through political satire?

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