BHARAT BALLOT 09: KERALA COMMUNISTS TURN TO CONTROVERSIAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000094 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PTER KDEM IN SUBJECT: BHARAT BALLOT 09: KERALA COMMUNISTS TURN TO CONTROVERSIAL MUSLIM LEADER ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Kerala's ruling party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM),has made a tactical alliance with a controversial Islamic leader, Abdul Nasser Madhani. Beset by internal problems -- both within the party and its coalition -- the CPM is featuring Madhani on the campaign trail in hopes of attracting the state's Muslim voters, who make up 24% of the electorate. Some leaders in the CPM, as well as the party's traditionally secular and atheist allies, are opposed to working with Madhani, who is under the cloud of continuing investigations into his alleged terrorist connections. The party's decision to link up with the polarizing Madhani is an indication of its unease with its prospects in the upcoming elections. In associating with him in hopes of securing Muslim votes, the party risks alienating other voters. End summary. CPM ties up with controversial Muslim politician -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Kerala's ruling CPM has come to an informal agreement with the controversial leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Abdul Nasser Madhani (alternative spellings: Madhany, Maudany, Madani). Although the PDP is not running any candidates of its own, Madhani is campaigning on behalf of the CPM and has appeared onstage with senior CPM leaders. Madhani's primary motivation for supporting the CPM is to highlight his differences with his more well-established rival, the Indian Union Muslim League, which is an ally of the Congress party. Madhani achieved notoriety ten years ago when he was arrested for his alleged role in the Coimbatore serial bombings that unsuccessfully targeted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani. Charges against Madhani included criminal conspiracy and providing assistance in procuring explosives for the bombings that killed 58 people. He was acquitted in 2007, after spending nine years in prison. Madhani previously faced charges of inciting religious tensions through his fiery speeches as founder of the PDP and the now-disbanded Islamic Sevak Sangh. ¶3. (SBU) A former madrasa instructor, 44-year old Madhani has long mixed religion and politics. He founded the Islamic Sevak Sangh (ISS),which he deliberately named to highlight its role as a counterpoint to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). India banned the ISS, along with several other organizations, after the controversial demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. Soon after, Madhani announced the formation of the People's Democratic Party (PDP),ostensibly to fight for Dalit and minority rights. Madhani lost a leg to a bomb explosion in 1992. Although he claimed he was injured when members of the RSS threw a bomb at him, many believe that it was an accidental explosion of a bomb he was transporting. Congress pounces on terrorist links -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Madhani announced he would abandon his aggressive political style after he was released in 2007, but many believe that he still maintains terrorist links. In a signed article in a Malayalam newspaper on March 26, Kerala Congress party leader Oomen Chandy pointed out that Madhani is a close contact of several accused terrorists, including Surfaraz Nawas (accused in the case of the 2008 Bangalore bombings),Abdul Jabbar (arrested in Kashmir after an encounter with Indian security forces killed four of his accomplices) and Abdul Sattar (accused in the cases of Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Delhi explosions). Chandy noted that witnesses testified in court that Madhani was a "central figure" in several other terrorist cases. ¶5. (SBU) On March 27, a major Malayalam language newspaper exposed a connection between Madhani and a group of Islamic youths linked to the September 2005 hijacking and burning of a bus in Tamil Nadu. The group is alleged to have carried out the attack to protest Madhani's incarceration in the neighboring state. According to the news report, which carried a facsimile of mobile phone call lists, the accused placed several calls to Madhani's wife's cell phone, CHENNAI 00000094 002 OF 002 including one only ten minutes after the bus burning incident. Madhani adds to CPM's ongoing internal feud -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Madhani's relationship with the CPM is another area of disagreement in the ongoing feud between Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanandan and the state CPM's leader Pinarayi Vijayan. Achuthanandan told the press on March 25 that the Kerala police are continuing investigations into Madhani's recent activities. The Chief Minister's comments ran contrary to his own Home Minister, a Vijayan supporter, who had said there were no investigations directed at Madhani. The CPM's allies in the state are also publicly opposed to the PDP's involvement in the campaign. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: Both the CPM and Congress party have sought the PDP's support in previous elections. But the direct personal involvement, and the unprecedented prominence, of the controversial Abdul Nasser Madhani is unusual. The nominally atheist CPM wants to tap into the Muslim vote, which makes up 24% of Kerala's electorate, to help compensate for its recent troubles with internal dissension and defections from the party. The party's willingness to hold its nose and embrace Madhani is an indication of its weakness heading into the elections. But it remains unclear whether the polarizing Madhani will bring in more votes than he costs them. End comment. SIMKIN