For Kerala parties, Saddam’s their own

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If Saddam Hussein were to evade the noose and decide to start afresh in politics, Kerala looks to be a good option for him. Going by the public reaction here, he seems to be as much a hero in Tirur or Thiruvananthapuram as he is in Tikrit.

In a state which is politically bisected down the middle into the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front camps, there has been an unusual meeting of minds in Saddam’s case — both sides are of the view that it’s George Bush who is in the wrong.

When news of the verdict broke on television channels, CPM youth wings were immediately out on streets in the state, shouting slogans in support of Iraq and against the US. The Congress was not far behind, with the official line condemning the verdict against the Iraqi leader.

Interestingly, even the Hindutva forces have not made any anti-Saddam statements, which means Saddam should be a unanimous choice in a state which keeps tangoing alternatively with the Left and the Right and not bothering to give the BJP any room. In Malappuram, there is, in fact, a beach named after the Iraqi leader and locals consider Saddam to be anti-imperialism personified, while in Kanhangad, there is a ‘Saddam Junction’ where a youth who had to leave the Gulf when Iraq invaded Kuwait, put up a provision store and named it after his ‘hero’.

It may be recalled that Union defence minister AK Antony was one of the earliest to hit out at the US when the American forces captured Saddam from his underground bunker. Mr Antony, the then chief minister of the state, had ticked off the US, stating that it should not be playing the global cop. Such strong anti-US sentiments have been echoed by leaders of every party that matters in Kerala. According to KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, the verdict is “a setback for international peace, brotherhood and human rights”.

Indian Union Muslim League state president Panakkad Syed Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal said the verdict was “inhumane” and one that “blatantly violated the international justice systems”. Said a political observer: “If this is the reaction to Saddam’s verdict, God forbid, if something happens to Fidel Castro, the state could go into official mourning, considering that Keralites are concerned more about international affairs than what happens at home.”