(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Undeterred by the criticism from various quarters the Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPM) that heads Keralas opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) has decided to go ahead with its controversial family survey.The state-wide survey seeks to gather all the details regarding religion caste income political affiliation employment overseas jobs and membership in social media of every individual in all the six million families across the state. The survey involving 30 questions is intended to help the party revise its tactics for the local body elections next year and the Assembly elections in 2016 in the light of inroads being made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into its traditional vote bank in the state.
The steady trickle of its workers to the BJP camp especially in the northern districts of the state following the ascendance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been worrying the CPM leadership.
The BJP which has not won a single seat ever either in the Assembly or Parliament is trying to woo the backward Hindu communities which form the major support base of the Communist parties in the state. A mega plan in this regard was drawn up during the recent visit of BJP president Amit Shah to the state.
BJP which now gets the support of a small section of Hindu backward communities is targeting the larger Ezhava community which constitutes about 22 per cent of the state’s voters and Scheduled Castes which account for 10 per cent of the population. The celebration of the birth anniversary of the 19th century dalit leader Ayyankali in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 8 is seen as a signal to this section which traditionally supports the CPM.
The by-elections to the Assembly in West Bengal in which the BJP has one won seat after a gap of 15 years and pushed the CPM to the fourth place in another seat has boosted the hope of the Sangh Parivar in Kerala.
The CPM surveye has evoked criticism from not only the Sangh Parivar but also the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V M Sudheeran has termed it as part of CPM’s attempt to divide the people on communal lines.
He said the survey would also encroach on the privacy of individuals that the party often purports to protect. He said there was no need for the CPM to gather the socio-economic data of the households in Kerala since the state already has it.
Terming the CPM move suspicious Sudheeran said that the party should have joined hands with secular forces to check the growth of the Sangh Parivar instead of following the BJP tactic of promoting communalism. For more news from Khaleej Times follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on Twitter at khaleejtimes Follow khaleejtimes ->
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