Senior CPI (M) leader Prakash Karat on Friday accused the BJP of creating a communal divide by whipping up Islamophobia in Kerala and and urged the Catholics, whose bishop has alleged love and narcotic jehad in the southern State, to be aware of the true character of the saffron outfits.
Referring to the recent speech made by the bishop of Pala diocese of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Joseph Kallarangat alleging that love jehad and narcotic jihad were being waged against youngsters belonging to non-Muslim communities, Karat said this sweeping allegation has caused alarm and misgivings in Kerala society.
In an article headlined 'No to Communal Divide in Kerala' in the party mouthpiece Desabhimani, a daily, the CPI(M) politburo member said while across the political spectrum the alleged jihadist conspiracy was discounted, the BJP came forward to support the bishop's stand and called upon the Central government to bring a law against the activities of the alleged jihadists.
"For the BJP, this seemed a good opportunity to drive a wedge between the Muslim and Christian communities and to whip up Islamophobia," he wrote.
He said as far as the alleged love jehad is concerned in Kerala, some years ago there was a disturbing incident of 21 people leaving their homes and families and going to Afghanistan to join the ISIS-Khorasan, a terrorist outfit. Noting that among them were two Christian women who had converted to Islam and joined their husbands to make the trip to Afghanistan, one of them had actually married a Christian and both of them converted, Karat said, "The jihadist network was behind recruiting these people and indoctrinating them in the extremist ideology."