CPI(M) accuses Vellappally Natesan of stoking communalism over Shamseer remarks

The CPI(M) launched a sharp rebuke against Vellappally Natesan on Wednesday after the Kerala BJP leader suggested that former Assembly Speaker A. P. Shamseer harbours the mentality of the Indian Union Muslim League, a charge the ruling party said was designed to weaponize communal divisions.

The party's State secretariat issued a statement characterizing Natesan's remarks as providing "fodder for communalism" and criticized the attempt to question Shamseer's secular credentials based on religious affiliations or political history. The secretariat argued that such statements undermine the secular values that form the foundation of India's constitutional framework.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan added his voice to the criticism, dismissing Natesan's comment as "absurd." The remarks from the CPI(M) leadership reflect growing tensions between the ruling Left coalition and opposition parties over questions of secularism and communal harmony in Kerala politics.

Shamseer, who served as Speaker during the previous Left Democratic Front government, has long been associated with secular and progressive politics. The controversy highlights the ongoing debate within Kerala's political sphere regarding the interpretation of secular credentials and the use of such allegations in partisan political discourse.