The rights and wrongs of an alliance with a political party propped up by the Jamaat-e-Islami, not anti-incumbency against the ruling front, is a major campaign issue in Mukkom municipality in the upcoming local body election.
The Jamaat-backed Welfare Party of India (WPI) is influential in at least four divisions in Chennamangallur area in the municipality. The United Democratic Front (UDF) has been accused of entering into an informal understanding with that party as it doesn’t have official candidates there. A section of local-level Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders, however, have fielded candidates under the aegis of an unofficial ‘Janakeeya Munnani’ as they are unhappy with the idea.
A sense of déjà vu
It could give a sense of déjà vu for political observers as it was the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which came into power in 2015 by winning 18 of the 33 divisions when Mukkom was upgraded as a municipality, that was accused of entering into a tactical tie-up with WPI. The LDF too reportedly had not fielded its candidates where the WPI was in fray.
Asked about the controversy, V. Kunhan, chairman of the outgoing council, told The Hindu on Saturday that the Left had never sought the support of the WPI for its survival.
“We have been in power here since 2000, when these areas were part of the erstwhile Mukkom grama panchayat,” he pointed out.
E.P. Aravindan, Congress member in the council, however, was more categorical when he said that the understanding had a sole aim to capture power. “We want to dethrone the LDF. This is just a political understanding for that purpose, not an alliance,” he said.
Mr. Aravindan claimed that the LDF-led council had obstructed many development works. There were many areas which still faced drinking water shortage. There were no new projects as well, he added.
Mr. Kunhan countered this by saying that Mukkom figured on top in constructing the highest number of houses for the homeless, among 27 municipalities which were earlier grama panchayats. “As many as 1,100 houses had been completed in the past five years,” he said.
Bricks for constructing these buildings were made available at cheap rates after roping in a firm floated by Kudumbashree units. Another major achievement was the ‘Ksheeranagaram’ project in which dairy farmers were given the benefits of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.
In the erstwhile council, the IUML had seven seats, Congress and WPI three each, and the BJP and the Lok Tantrik Janata Dal one each. The BJP is contesting in one division this time too.
