IUML slams CPI-M over PFI relations

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 24 The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second largest ally in the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), on Saturday slammed the insinuations against them made by the CPI-M.

Veteran IUML legislator P.K.Kunhalikutty termed the statement of CPI-M leader M.V.Jayarajan that the IUML is a Popular Front of India (PFI) supporter as "baseless" and devoid of facts.

"It is a known fact that to finish the IUML, the CPI-M had joined hands with SDPI (the political wing of PFI) and now they are blaming us. The biggest political enemy of the SDPI is the IUML. It was the CPI-M which brought those who are vehemently opposed to us on a common platform. It happened at Ponnani (Lok Sabha constituency)," said Kunhalikutty.

On Thursday, in an early morning swoop across several states in the country, in a joint operation of the NIA and the Enforcement Directorate, around 19 top brass of the PFI, including its chairman and several other national leaders, were held and later remanded to judicial custody in Kerala.

Consequent to it, the PFI Kerala unit called a dawn-to-dusk shutdown on Friday and it was absolute mayhem in the state when 70 KSRTC buses, numerous private vehicles and properties were destroyed by the angry PFI workers to protest the arrest of its leaders from here.

It was only after the Kerala HC suo-motu took serious action did the Kerala Police finally act and by evening registered 53 cases and arrested close to 200 people.

On Saturday, the Centre sought a detailed report from the Kerala government on the violence that took place during the shutdown.

Kunhalikutty went on to state that the CPI-M for several elections have been trying its best to finish off the IUML and for that they join hands with all such forces.

"Instead of RSS, IS is the need of the hour'' was the slogan and the CPI-M lent its support to the PFI. Look around and you will see that the CPI-M is ruling local bodies in the state with the support of the SDPI. No one will forget that even when the IUML was a bit down politically, we never ever sought the support of such forces," added Kunhalikutty.

Kunhalikutty and IUML supremo Pankkad Sadiq Ali Thangal are scheduled to embark on a Middle East trip on Saturday with a campaign against extremist organisations.

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