Kerala: With Indian National League, Pinarayi Vijayan to lure Indian Union Muslim League voters

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s proposal– that minor allies with a single seat can take turns and share cabinet berths –appears to be a subtle move to help

Indian National League

(

INL

) gain more public acceptance than becoming more democratic with the smaller constituents of LDF during his second term.



It took over 25 years for INL to become LDF’s constituent as veteran leader VS Achuthanandan refused to budge from his position that INL was a communal party and LDF being a progressive, non-communal political alliance could not let INL into its fold. INL was formed by former

Indian Union Muslim League

national president Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait in 1994 in revolt against IUML’s refusal to severe links with Congress in the aftermath of Babri Masjid demolition.

It was only after VS became inactive owing to age-related illness that the section led by Vijayan could let INL into LDF. VS used to argue that the entry of INL into LDF could become a prelude for the entry of IUML into LDF. “VS had stonewalled the entry of INL when he was active. He had specific reasons for his opposition to INL. He believed INL and IUML as equally communal,” said political observer and former IT adviser to VS, Joseph C Mathew.

However, Vijayan’s decision that minor allies should take turns and share cabinet berths has come as a bloody blow to

Kerala Congress

(B) leader KB Ganesh Kumar, who had been expecting a solid cabinet berth this time. This, in turn, became a boon to Congress (S) leader Kadannappally Ramachandran who did not expect a cabinet berth this time. According to sources, Vijayan offered the first term of the shared cabinet berths to INL MLA Ahammed Devarkovil and Janadhipathya Kerala Congress MLA Antony Raju. While the preference for Ahammed Devarkovil is aimed at positioning INL as a potential competitor of IUML and its vote bank, the selection of Antony Raju is for being more obsequious to Pinarayi Vijayan than political motives.

“Antony Raju was the only person who didn’t lay claim to first preference to be given in the shared berth,” said a CPM leader when asked why Antony had a better chance to get the first preference.