Hyderabad: As Kerala heads for Assembly elections in a few months, communalism has flared up in the state. Amidst this, two rival political fronts – Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-backed United Democratic Front (UDF) – have both boasted of strong secular credentials.While the CPI(M) is accused of adopting a social engineering strategy by overtly opposing majoritarian – and minoritarian – communalism while reportedly being supportive of prominent caste groups as Ezhavas and Nairs with gestures, the Congress has openly become the butt of criticism for its attempts to consolidate Muslim minority votes against the LDF.The recent remarks of Ezhava and Nair community leaders Vellapalli Naresan and Sukumaran Nair, respectively, targeting Muslims were interpreted as indirectly aiding CPI(M)’s election strategy at a time when the party was believed to be losing ground among its traditional Hindu vote base.On the other hand, with nearly half of the population of Kerala comprising minorities, the UDF has now roped in Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, known for its Islamist politics, along with its traditional ally, the Muslim League, while creating a narrative that the CPI(M) is playing Hindutva communal politics. The UDF has, hence, been branded as a confederation of all communal forces – Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) – where the Jamaat could potentially have a big role if the front was elected to power.In this background, The Wire spoke to senior CPI(M) leader and former polit bureau member Brinda Karat on the sidelines of the fourth national conference of All India Democratic Womens’ Association (AIDWA), a frontal organisation of the party, on Monday (January 26).On the question of CPI(M)’s communal politics, Karat said, “The so-called allegations emanate from a lie-manufacturing factory being run by the day shift by UDF and night shift by BJP-RSS” and that the CPI(M) “does not need anybody’s certificate that it is the most secular force in India’s politics whether in Kerala or anywhere in India”.“And this is a calumny coming out of desperation. We are very clear that the main danger to India is Hindutva bulldozer against the Constitution of India and while we fight it as the main danger, we will never compromise with any force in any religion which is fundamentalist in nature. That does not mean we are against any community. We are against the use of religion in politics,” she said.Below are excerpts from the interview with Brinda Karat.Who is the chief ministerial candidate of CPI(M)?It was decided that the election campaign be led by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan because what Kerala achieved under his leadership was unique in the country. In spite of a fiscal crisis in the state on account of a virtual blockade by the central government, Kerala has maintained its number one position in the development agenda.The state has remained a symbol of secularism and democracy for India. The CPI(M) will fight the elections against the national political policy framework.Will Kerala elect LDF for another five years after the front broke a three-decade record by winning two consecutive terms?The decision lies with voters. We are confident that the people of Kerala, knowing the national challenges and record of the Left in uncompromising fight for their interests and development of the state, will once again repose confidence in the LDF.Don’t you think its victory is vital not only for the Left in Kerala but for Left forces in the country too, since it is the sole state where they are in governance?We don’t look at it that way. Kerala and LDF are important for development for Kerala. At the same time, resurgence of the Left in West Bengal is essential for people of that state. Therefore, we don’t look at things in isolation.Don’t you think Congress is desperate to return to power in Kerala having faced successive defeats in other states. The UDF has been out of power for 10 years and waiting for another five years, the front might be decimated?No doubt its desperation can be seen in Kerala but unfortunately desperation is such that it goes to the extent of underhand and under-the-table adjustments with the BJP. This is something every voter has to see. An example of its collusion with the BJP was Thiruvanantapuram municipal corporation election in Kerala in which the BJP won at the expense of Congress.The party flouted the basic principle of fighting a communal force. Congress corporators also joined the BJP “wholesale” in Maharashtra. People can’t depend on such parties. There is no guarantee that Congress MLAs will not join the BJP if the latter was voted to power.Though the BJP has no representation in Kerala Assembly now, don’t you think it is waiting in the sidelines to capture power in the state?If you look at the BJP graph, there has not been any increase. People have realised that the vote for BJP is of no consequence. What is of significance is the treasury of BJP which has bloated with money given by corporate trusts. The party got Rs 3,300 crore in a single year going by latest figures. It is of concern to India if it is to be run by a corporate led democracy.The LDF suffered a major setback in Lok Sabha elections in the state two years ago, winning just one out of 20 seats and losing a substantial number of posts in panchayat and municipal elections last year. Don’t you think this situation will repeat?It is a fact we suffered setbacks in local body elections. The party has done an analysis at every level on what went wrong. It has addressed gaps in organisational weaknesses and the work deficit. Looking at Kerala, it can be seen the people have voted differently at different levels of elections. Even in the local body elections, we lost in gram panchayats but won in zilla parishads. To believe that, in general, the situation will remain and the results will be the same will be incorrect analysis. We are confident that we will be able to remove the gaps.The LDF has done exemplary work in meeting promises it had made to people in last elections like hike in social security pensions from Rs 600 to 2,000 a month. I don’t think people can tire of a government which not only keeps its promises but goes ahead in its commitments.What about the controversy over Kerala governor Rajendra Viswanth Arlekar making changes in certain portions of policy speech of the government presented to the Assembly recently?Nowadays, governors are not acting as the ambassadors of the constitution but as ambassadors of narrow interests of the ruling regime in Delhi, weakening the federal character of India.§At the national conference in Hyderabad, AIDWA passed a resolution hailing the achievements of the LDF government in Kerala for the welfare of women and other vulnerable sections. It noted that the initiatives were taken despite serious financial constraints and constant targeting by the Union government. Kerala’s gender budget for 2025-26 has seen a significant increase to Rs 4,840.12 crore, representing over 20% of the total plan outlay.