India News ---threat within

Even after TJ Joseph row, PFI still popular in Kerala

Dakshina Muraleedharan , CNN-IBN
Posted on Oct 31, 2010 at 10:45 | Updated Oct 31, 2010 at 12:59

Thiruvananthapuram: The local body polls in Kerala that concluded recently, threw up a very unexpected result. Anas Vazhakulam, an accused in the attack on lecturer T J Joseph, won a panchayat seat with a huge margin, that too on the ticket of Kerala's radical outfit Popular Front of India that made its electoral debut. Anas is in jail now.

Anas is accused of giving shelter to those who chopped off the hand of lecturer T J Joseph. Ironically, the 30-year-old is also a college lecturer.

Fingers had been pointed at Kerala's radical outfit Popular Front of India for joining the mainstream politics after activists from the organisation were allegedly involved in chopping off Professor TJ Joseph's hand.

The incident had triggered anger across the country, but Professor Anas, one of the accused in the sensational case, contesting from prison won the local body election. Professor Anas is not the only one to win from the Socialist Democratic Party of India, the political arm of the Popular Front of India, 12 more candidates have made it to the local bodies in the state.

Muhammad Shareef, State President, SDPI said, “We have been successful in making our presence felt and it is a strong reply to the government which has been targeting us."

But the mainstream political parties ignore PFI's political gains

Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC President said, “These are organisations which work towards dividing the society. We will not have any alliance with organisations like SDPI even if we lose certain panchayats."

Both state and the central governments have condemned PFI's communal agenda. Hundreds of cases against the organisation are being investigated in Kerala alone. But some say its better if PFI joins the mainstream.

M G Radhakrishnan, senior journalist said, “A party which has to go to people for votes cannot be sectarian for long. Instead of keeping them in the fringe making them enter politics is better."

The PFI has managed to score few political points by eating into the vote bank of the Muslim league and Madani's PDP. But the clutches of law are not far behind. The radical front's political assertiveness will also be closely studied in the coming days.

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