1 hr ago
Kerala CM Condemns CPI(M) Leader’s Remarks on Malappuram
A CPI(M) leader, P Nandakumar, was accused of making insulting comments about people in Malappuram.
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan condemned the comments and asked the party to apologize.
He also asked Pinarayi Vijayan and the party’s central leaders to explain their position.
Satheesan said people who spread communal hatred could face legal action.
The CPI(M)’s state secretary, M V Govindan, said the party was criticizing communalism in political parties, not the district of Malappuram.
Police said several organisations had complained about Nandakumar’s remarks.
The comments were reportedly made at a CPI(M) meeting in Malappuram on Saturday.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan condemned remarks attributed to CPI(M) leader P Nandakumar describing Malappuram as a “nest of fundamentalists and communalists.”
Satheesan demanded an unconditional apology from Nandakumar and the CPI(M), and called for clarification from Pinarayi Vijayan and the party’s central leadership.
Satheesan said the remarks continued what he described as Vijayan’s earlier anti-Malappuram statements and warned of strict legal action against communal hatred.
CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said the party was criticizing the influence of communalism on parties such as the Indian Union Muslim League, not Malappuram itself.
Police said several organisations, including the Muslim Youth League, had filed complaints over Nandakumar’s remarks.
- Who
- Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan, CPI(M) leader P Nandakumar, and CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan.
- What
- Satheesan condemned alleged remarks about Malappuram and demanded an apology; Govindan said the party’s criticism concerned communalism’s influence on political parties.
- Where
- At an extended CPI(M) district committee meeting in Malappuram, Kerala.
- When
- The alleged remarks were made on Saturday; Satheesan and Govindan responded on Sunday.
- Why
- Satheesan said the remarks denigrated Malappuram residents and reflected communal politics; Govindan said the party was discussing the influence of communalism on parties such as the IUML.
Satheesan’s allegations
CPI(M)’s clarification
Whether the remarks targeted Malappuram
Satheesan’s allegations
Satheesan said Nandakumar denigrated Malappuram residents by calling the district a place of fundamentalists and communalists.
CPI(M)’s clarification
Govindan said the CPI(M) was not making communal remarks about Malappuram; its criticism concerned communalism’s influence on political parties.
What the party’s criticism concerned
Satheesan’s allegations
Satheesan described the remarks as divisive and linked them to what he called earlier anti-Malappuram statements by Pinarayi Vijayan.
CPI(M)’s clarification
Govindan said the party’s position was that Jamaat-e-Islami’s influence was pushing members of the Indian Union Muslim League toward communalism.
Key facts
- Person who made the alleged remarks
- P Nandakumar, a CPI(M) leader and former MLA
- Description attributed to Nandakumar
- Malappuram was described as a “nest of fundamentalists and communalists”
- Meeting
- An extended CPI(M) district committee meeting in Malappuram
- Satheesan’s demand
- An unconditional apology from Nandakumar and the CPI(M), and clarification from Pinarayi Vijayan and the party’s central leadership
- CPI(M)’s response
- M V Govindan said the party criticized communalism’s influence on political parties, including the Indian Union Muslim League, rather than Malappuram
- Complaints
- Police said several organisations, including the Muslim Youth League, had lodged complaints
Quotes
V D Satheesan
Kerala chief minister
“Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) central leadership must break their silence and clarify their stance to the public. Both the CPI(M) and P Nandakumar must tender an unconditional apology to the people of Keralam.”
rediff.com
“Let there be no ambiguity: Keralam's secular fabric will be protected at all costs. Anyone who attempts to peddle communal hatred will face strict and uncompromising legal action.”
rediff.com
Sources
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