Thiruvananthapuram: The Left has made the Iran nuclear stand-off an electoral issue in the Thiruvananthapuram by-polls.
CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat's meetings in Kerala can be singled out for his insistence on raising the issue of vote on Iran.
The Left seems to have made this an electoral issue to woo the 12 per cent Muslim vote in Thiruvananthapuram, where Lok Sabha by-elections are being held on Friday.
Says Karat, "The Indian government should read the communique by the non-aligned countries. It says Iran is a disconnect. Iran has every right to develop its nuclear technology. Manmohan Singh government should change its stand."
The Congress is caught on the backfoot. They have dismissed any fallout from a vote against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
But party leaders have appealed to Sonia Gandhi to handle the issue carefully. They do not want to hurt the sentiments of Muslims in Kerala.
In earlier by-polls too, the Left had raised the issue of war on Iraq and gained rich dividends. This worries the Congress now since it can prove decisive in a closely fought contest.
With the Left making the vote on Iran an electoral issue, its votes from this Muslim-dominated area will be decisive in the outcome of this Parliamentary election.
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