Kerala: Left joins hands with SDPI, topples UDF in Eratupetta Municipality

Just 10 months of taking charge, Congress-led UDF was unseated at Erattupetta Municipality after CPIM-led LDF and SDPI, the political arm of the Popular Front of India joined hands and help pass the no-trust motion against municipal chairperson Suhra Abdul Khader.
 
The municipality council comprising of 28 members had 14 from UDF, 9 from LDF and 5 from SDPI. Congress councillor Ansalana Pareekkutty turned hostile and voted against the chairperson who belonged to the Muslim League. Five votes of the SDPI went against the UDF, exposing the bonhomie between Kerala’s left party and the SDPI.
 
Meanwhile, the UDF, it is learnt that had made move to disqualify Ansalana who violated the whip. The Muslim League Eratupetta municipal committee general secretary has taken action in this direction. It would be a double blow to Congress as it is likely that LDF will move a no-confidence motion against the municipal vice-chairman as well.
 
Interestingly, in 2015, LDF was voted to power with the support of SDPI here but the left rejected it stating it doesn’t want to be associated with the controversial party which has often been alleged to have a radical religious viewpoint.
 
In fact, in July 2018, then CPIM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had made a sharp remark that SDPI is the Indian version of the Islamic State after an SFI activist Abhimanyu was allegedly killed by their activist. “SDPI is the enemy of Muslims in India,” he had added.
 
CPM Polit Bureau member MA Baby too had remarked on social media that SDPI is a religious extremist group, three years after the death of Abhimanyu.
 
Now, the change in stance indicates that the left is comfortable in forging an alliance with them. Before the conclusion of the Local body elections held in December 2020, the Muslim League had also claimed that a secret pact has been made with CPIM and SDPI to oust the league in local body elections.
 
In the same elections, SDPI which won 95 seats had bettered its previous record by over 100 per cent when compared to the 2015 tally of 40.

Even in the fiercely contested Nemom constituency elections held in May this year, BJP had alleged CPIM took the support of SDPI in a bid to oust them from the lone seat which they had won in the 2016 legislative assembly elections.