Invigorated by the imminent assumption of office by a Congress Government in Karnataka and expecting support for their bid from the Congress in that State, political parties in Kerala lobbying for Islamist leader Abdul Nasser Madani, lodged in a Bangalore prison as an accused in the 2008 bombings case, have started lobbying for ensuring his release.
The first party in Kerala to start pro-Madani lobbying is none other than the Congress leading the nine-party ruling UDF and the strategy adopted to ensure the PDP chairman’s release is pivoted on the old method of raising issues of his ill-health and the need for compassionate approach to his case.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala have already made their intentions known by saying they would do everything possible from within the “limitations” for helping Madani. Muslim league, the second biggest constituent of the UDF, declared its support to the attempts in this regard on Saturday.
Observers feel that shocking reversals in the Prosecution’s stand in the courts could be seen now as the minority cell of the Karnataka Congress party has said that its approach towards the matter could be different from that of the BJP. “Don’t be surprised if strange things happen in the Bangalore bombings case now,” said a senior lawyer of the Kerala High Court.
Madani, 48, has been lodged at the Parappana Agrahara prison outside Bangalore for the past 32 months as 31st accused in the 2008 Bangalore bombings case. He was arrested on August 17, 2010 by a team of Karnataka Police amidst a weeklong security drama from Anvarssery, his operational headquarters in Kollam district.
“We will ask the Congress government in Karnataka (to be installed on Monday) to take a humanitarian approach towards Madani. That has always been our stand,” Kerala’s Congress party chief Chennithala said in Alappuzha the other day. “law will, of course, take its course. But we feel that there should be a humanitarian approach,” said Chennithala.
Chief Minister Chandy has already said that everything possible would be done for ensuring humanitarian help for Madani from within “limitations”. Chandy had a few months ago discussed with (outgoing BJP Chief Minister) Jagadish Shettar to speed up Madani’s trial and to give him due medical treatment.
Senior Muslim league leader ET Muhammad Basheer MP said in Chennai on Saturday that his party would hold discussions (with the concerned authorities) on the issue of Madani’s release once a Congress Government took charge in Karnataka. Basheer said the Muslim league would hold talks with the Congress leadership on the matter.
Analysts say that Kerala could now see a rush of parties, including those from the left combine, to declare support for Madani and to demand “humanitarian consideration” for him. Such a campaign was witnessed early this year after reports about deterioration in Madani’s health condition.
The minority cell of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has reportedly decided to consider the legal steps that could be taken to help Madani and to review the position adopted by the outgoing BJP government on the matter. It has also said that appropriate steps would be taken at the appropriate time in the issue of Madani’s bail.
According to sources in the PDP, lawyers working for Madani in Bangalore are confident that the new Congress government to be installed in Karnataka might take some “positive” steps. “Congress leaders in Bangalore have already assured that they would have a different standpoint in the Madani issue from that of the BJP,” said a PDP functionary.
The Kerala legislative Assembly had in 2006 unanimously passed a resolution seeking the release of Madani on humanitarian grounds from the Coimbatore prison where he had been lodged since 1999 for his alleged role in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts. He was released on August 1, 2007 after acquittal in the case.
