Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) President Panakkad Shihabali Thangal alleged, in his inaugural address, that the government of Bharat always supported Israel. He opined that Bharat has been opposing Israel’s “invasion” since 1947. He added that Gandhiji did the same too. He alleges that Israel is the worst terrorist state. Whoever joins hands with Israel supports terrorism. Palestine has done nothing wrong but has been resisting Israel’s terrorism since 1947.
However, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who was the chief guest at the programme, sent shockwaves across the audience and the dais by terming the Hamas attack against Israel as a “terrorist act”. According to reports, he used the same term multiple times in his speech. However, he condemned the “disproportionate retaliation” of Israel and said the country was committing war crimes. He reminded us that Bharat has always stood with Palestine and even Gandhiji was against the formation of Israel in the Arabian region. Tharoor said that on October 7, terrorists attacked Israel, killed 1,400 people, and took 200 hostages. As retaliation, Israel has so far killed 6,000 people.
But IUML leader and former minister, Dr MK Muneer MLA speaking on the occasion, said that resistance and attack are two different matters, and his party always supports Palestine.
It was later that Tharoor realised that his remark would not go down well with the Islamists and might have a adverse impact on Congress’ vote-back. Extremists started to criticise IUML for providing Shashi Tharoor with a platform for anti-Hamas propaganda. KT Jaleel MLA, former minister and CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s blue-eyed boy criticised IUML in sharp terms. Then Tharoor got the message’. Naturally, the next option was to backtrack. He told the media men that he has always been with Palestine, and those who heard his speech at Kozhikode programme have grasped what he said. Once again, he proved that he lacks the spine to express his opinion boldly.
It was like the FB post of KK Shailaja, a senior CPM leader and former Kerala minister. She said in her initial FB post that Hamas is a “terrorist” outfit. But when she drew flack from within and outside the party, she dropped the word “terrorist. Again, the magic of “vote bank politics” and that of appeasement
KT Jaleel was in news last year for his deplorable FB post describing PoK as Azad Kashmir and Jammu Kashmir as “Indian Occupied Kashmir.”
CPM state secretary MV Govindan expressed his pleasure indirectly in Tharoor’s change of stand. He said his party welcomes all pro-Palestine movements in the entire world. Because it is ‘against imperialism’. M.M. Hassan, convener of opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and former minister, said that Hamas is a “defence force” (not aggressors).
In Kerala, it is all about vote-bank politics. Therefore, they are unable to stick to their own stand as both the UDF and ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) are in direct contest to win the minority vote bank.
BJP Kerala State President K Surendran said Shashi Tharoor should not have participated in the pro-Hamas IUML programme in Kozhikode. Tharoor was in the UN for a long time, and such a person should not have addressed a programme organised against the interests and standing of the country. He alleged that there are attempts to utilise the Israel-Hamas war for religious polarisation in the state.
He alleged that there were blatant anti-national slogans in the IUML programme. Hamas terrorists were placed on par with our valiant freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Subhash Bose. Tharoor went for such a programme to garner the votes of fanatics. Surendran said that it is anti-national to stand with Hamas, the terrorist outfit that supports anti-Bharat forces. Pro-Hamas people are not for peace. They keep on propagating only one side of the massacres in West Asia. Tharoor attempts religious polarisation for the sake of votes. IUML and DYFI try to fill the gap of the outlawed Popular Front of India (PFI).
