Amid Congress opposition, Muslim League to skip CPM\'s Palestine solidarity rally

Thiruvanathapuram: Faced with stiff opposition from the Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has decided to keep off the Palestine solidarity meeting to be organised by the ruling CPM in Kozhikode on November 11.

Muslim League general secretary P K Kunhalikutty announced the decision at a press conference at the party headquarters in Kozhikode on Saturday. “We are part of the Congress-led UDF hence there are certain technical issues involved in our participation in the CPM rally,” he said while thanking the ruling party for inviting the Muslim League to the event.

The Muslim League leader wished all success to the solidarity rally and hoped it would evoke a good response.

Eminent personalities and organisations from the political, religious, social and cultural fields have been invited to the solidarity rally to be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The controversy began with Muslim League senior leader and Lok Sabha MP E T Mohammad Basheer stating that his party would cooperate with the solidarity meet being organised by the CPM and even attend if an invitation is extended. The CPM also extended a formal invitation to the League leadership.

Basheer’s statement created a flutter in the Congress with KPCC president K Sudhakaran reminding the Muslim League leaders about the UDF decision to keep off any political programme organised by the CPM. He also used harsh remarks against the Muslim League which evoked a sharp reaction from the League leadership.

The League leadership warned Sudhakaran against making offensive remarks.

League state general secretary P M A Salam on Friday pointed out that the CPM event was not a political programme but aimed at highlighting an international human rights issue. Hence the matter need not be discussed and decided in the UDF forum.

The Congress, however, was wary of the CPM's invitation and had cautioned the Muslim League which is the second largest constituent of the UDF, against attending it. The Congress leadership had also pointed out that there were no joint campaigns even on issues like CAA and Manipur violence, on which both the LDF and UDF were on the same page.

The CPM leadership, which kept the Congress aside, invited the Muslim League to the rally. The CPM was not keen to invite the Congress to participate in the rally for political reasons and also because of the controversial speech made by Shashi Tharoor at a Palestine solidarity rally organised by the Muslim League at Kozhikode beach recently.

Without naming Hamas, Tharoor had slammed the militant organisation holding it responsible for the October 7 terror attack which killed many people in Israel. A section of Muslim organisations slammed Tharoor’s anti-Hamas remarks and some even branded him as pro-Israel.

Tharoor had refuted the charge stating that a few seconds from his nearly 30-minute speech were selectively taken out to brand him as pro-Israeli. “I have always stood for the people of Palestine,” he said.

A section of Congress leaders had also slammed the CPM for inviting the League. “CPM’s invite to Muslim League is with the ulterior motive of weakening the UDF,” said K Muraleedharan, MP.  He also reminded the CPM that it was the Congress Working Committee (CWC) that first extended its unconditional support to the Palestinian people by passing the resolution.

The CPM has only joined now in support of Palestine and even while doing so it is trying to create a dispute in the UDF, he said.