Shahida Kamal is now comrade, blames Congress nepotism

KOLLAM: Shahida Kamal, the AICC member and former Mahila Congress national general secretary, has left her 30-year-old association with the Congress party to join the CPM. Announcing her decision to become a “comrade,” she said she was ‘fed up’ with the "nepotism, corruption, and communal appeasement" of the party.

She was garlanded by CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in the presence of CPM district secretary K.N. Balagopal MP when she announced the decision at a public meeting organised by the LDF at Edappallykotta in Chavara the other day.

“The Congress party has always shown injustice to me since the death of my husband three years back. I have been bearing all those silently. I became a Congress worker at the age of 13 when it was impossible for a Muslim girl to get into mainstream politics,” Ms Kamal said.

She said the party had become a B-team of the BJP and it failed to protect minorities from the communal attacks. "It is the Left under the leadership of CPM that gives strength to defend when communal fascists attack religious minorities in the name of caste, religion, language and even food,” she said.

Ms Kamal, who has also served as the KPCC executive committee member, contested on Congress ticket from Kasargode in 2009 and Chadayamangalam in 2011.