Worried that it may lose the only state that it currently rules, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala is experimenting with a dangerous political strategy that runs the risk of normalising political Hinduism and even Islamophobia. Although this strategy is not entirely new, it is now being implemented without qualms or compunction.While continuing to criticise and confront the Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindutva, the strategy involves the simultaneous appeasement of Hindu communalism. The two components of this strategy are, first, demonising Muslim organisations that are orthodox but not fanatical with a view to attracting those Hindus and Christians who are Islamophobic away from the BJP and, second, active participation in, and even sponsorship of, Hindu religious events and activities.The CPI(M)’s political strategy is based on the assumption that a majority of Muslim voters in Kerala cannot be brought to its side as they solidly support the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). The Left is also working on the assumption that a substantial chunk of Hindus and Christians in the state have become hostile to the Muslims who, unlike in most other states, play a dominant role in the economic, political and educational spheres.Thomas Isaac, former finance minister of Kerala and a leading light of the CPI(M) in the state described the rationale for getting involved with temples in this way:“We cannot completely stay away from temples or religion, as it will give more scope to Hindutva organisations to take control of these spaces. We will support any progressive individual who wants to be involved in these organisations and play a more active role in preventing BJP from capturing them. This requires a nuanced approach that acknowledges the importance of religion in people’s lives while preventing the exploitation of religious sentiment for political gain.”The CPI(M)’s current approach – and the contradictions and challenges this involves – is perhaps best exemplified by the Agola Ayyappa Sangamam, or the Global Conclave of Ayyappa Devotees, organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board on September 20. “Sabarimala’s inclusivity stands in opposition to sectarian narratives,” CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby wrote in an op-ed:“The Left has always held that such internal reform movements are essential to weaken caste hierarchies and communal divisions. This is also why the attempts to communalise the Sangamam must be resisted. The BJP and its affiliates have long sought to weaponise Sabarimala for political gain, portraying progressive reform as an attack on faith. Sabarimala has never belonged to communal forces. Its inclusivity, its connections across communities and its history of reforms, stand in opposition to sectarian narratives.”Unfortunately, the route the CPI(M) has chosen to prevent the BJP weaponising Sabarimala has involved key compromises of its own. In 2019, the Communist Party-led LDF formed a women’s wall across the state following the Supreme Court’s verdict, demanding women’s entry into the temple. Today, the party is eloquently silent on the issue of women’s entry into the temple.The irony of the situation assumed ominous proportions when chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan chose to arrive at the conclave venue accompanied in his official car by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan, arguably the most foul-mouthed Hindu chauvinist in the state who demonises the Muslims regularly and the Christians occasionally. In the recent past, the CM has repeatedly heaped lavish praise on Vellappally – someone whom he himself once described as Kerala’s Togadia.At the September 20 conclave, a most unlikely scene unfolded soon after the CM’s inaugural address. A minister in his cabinet, V.N. Vasavan – who four years ago had hailed as a ‘great scholar’ a Catholic bishop notorious for accusing the state’s Muslims of waging a “narcotic jihad” – admiringly read out a letter from Yogi Adityanath. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister regretted his inability to attend and conveyed his best wishes for the event, which, intriguingly, his party decided not only to boycott, but also to undercut by holding a parallel conclave nearby.The situation could not have been more bizarre: the LDF government inviting a man whose only claim to fame is his utterly reprehensible words and deeds against Muslims in his own state. This barely concealed bonhomie with some of the most venomous figures of majority communalism stunned even Kerala’s otherwise loquacious apologists – who defend the party against all odds – into silence.One of the weaknesses of the CPI(M) in Kerala over the years has been its inability to make significant inroads into the state’s Muslim and Christian communities, who constitute nearly half of the population. As election arithmetic gets more challenging, the party’s focus seems to be on consolidating a substantial chunk of votes among the Hindus, especially the Ezhavas. But what it is doing now is a sure path to self-destruction. Worse, it will also aggravate communal polarisation.Already, there are many credible charges levelled against the police in the state, which is seen as lackadaisical in regard to taking action against Hindutva hate speech, while being overenthusiastic in pouncing on Muslims for even minor offences. A case in point is a recent incident in which a Muslim school teacher working in a private school run by a Muslim religious outfit sent messages to parents asking not to participate in Onam celebrations because it was against the spirit of Islamic monotheism. The teacher’s message was indeed in terrible taste but hardly deserving of stringent action by a police which looks the other way when awful communal statements are made by Hindutva ideologues and supporters.The Left, even in the weakened state it finds itself nationally compared to the past, is undoubtedly an asset for India politically and intellectually. Being the largest communist party in the country, the CPI(M) is an important presence in our political life. But what it is doing in Kerala right now is a reminder that its metamorphosis from total dominance to total eclipse in states like West Bengal was of its own making. If it persists with the kind of amoral opportunism on display these days, Kerala too may go the way of Bengal and Tripura.That will leave the door wide open for the BJP, whose failure to make electoral headway in Kerala is due not so much to the state’s unique demographics or secular outlook but because the lion’s share of political space is occupied by two competing coalitions – the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF.A well-known joke in Kerala is that in the electoral history of the state, any leader that the SNDP’s Vellappally has sought votes for only ended up losing their deposit. Vellappally’s son, Thushar, is the NDA’s convenor in Kerala. The Left may not believe in superstition but this at least should make Pinarayi Vijayan think twice about the company he keeps.