Click to play videoPonnani: In Kerala, there is one man who is being wooed by the CPM as a crucial link to the Muslim vote bank. The chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Abdul Nasser Madhani is causing enough worry to the opposition.
He is a man both hated and wooed in Kerala. Madhani was once branded a terrorist and one the CPM has roped in to help it win Malabar.
Peoples Democratic Party chairman Abdul Nasser Madhani is not contesting. But the crowd he gathers around him can easily rival any star campaigner.
Madhani served 10 years in jail in connection with the 1998 Coimbatore blasts case until he was acquitted last year. He has been branded a Muslim hardliner yet Madhani is now preaching peace.
"I have always said, even if 1,000 mosques are destroyed not one temple should be destroyed," he said.
Interestingly his election yatra is named - Satyameva Jayathe (Truth alone triumphs) - India's motto, has been taken from the Upanishads. Madhani says it reflects how he has changed.
"It's true that in the wake of the Babri Masjid demolition I made some strong speeches. But when I was in jail, it was Hindus like Justice V R Krishna Iyer who came forward to demand justice for me. Ten years in jail gave me a lot of time for introspection," he said.
Madhani claims he is a reformed man. But his capacity to ignite the minority passion and convert them into votes is still very much alive.
Madhani wields enormous influence in Ponnani backed by him, the LDF-supported independent there, Hussein Randathani, has emerged a serious threat to the Muslim League's E T Mohammed Basheer.
The CPM has made no secret of its ties with PDP. State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan even shared a dais with Madhani. If Madhani fails to deliver, it could be a blow for the CPM. But for Madhani himself, it's a win win situation.
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