Jamaat-e-Islami in Kerala has expressed its anger over Congress MP Shashi Tharoor being part of a national mission aimed at raising awareness abroad about Operation Sindoor and exposing Pakistan’s role in terrorism. Tharoor, who defied the Congress party’s directive and took part in the mission, stated that “national interest was paramount.” However, he has since come under sharp criticism, being labelled a “stupid”, an “epileptic nationalist” and a “world cruel citizen” by Jamaat Islami.
These hyperbolic remarks were aired in a 20-minute discussion segment on Out of Focus, a program associated with Islamic extremist narratives, broadcast on Media One Channel, which is linked to Jamaat-e-Islami Kerala. The Jamaat also alleged that the nationalist remarks made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his foreign visits were intended “to please the Sangh Parivar in the country.”
What particularly infuriated Jamaat-e-Islami was Tharoor’s recent reference to the Rs 10 crore aid extended by the Kerala government to Turkey following the 2023 earthquake. In response, the program’s host, Dawood, a radical Islamist, personally criticised Tharoor, saying that “I thinks he is a fool.” Jamaat-e-Islami further insinuated that Tharoor was on the verge of joining the BJP. They continued their verbal assault by accusing Tharoor once a “world citizen” of now turning into a “world cruel” and an “ultra nationalist” and “epileptic nationalist.”
In the same program, Tharoor’s comments are distorted to imply that he was “speaking for the country and that he is speaking for the government.” The hosts also launched attacks on External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. According to Jamaat-e-Islami, Jaishankar’s statements on Indian nationalism, both in international forums and on his X handle, are deliberately made “to please the Sangh Parivar members in the country.” The Jamaat issued a warning that Prime Minister Modi’s foreign policy was flawed and that “the country will have to pay the price for such mistakes.”
Jamaat Slams India’s Anti-Turkey stance as political vendetta
The discussion also ridiculed India’s current stance toward Turkey. It was claimed that India and Turkey have traditionally shared aligned positions, especially on the Kashmir issue, which Turkey has consistently upheld since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. The presenters defended Turkish President Erdogan, arguing that he had merely continued the same position that Turkey has maintained for decades. They further accused India of excluding Turkey from BRICS to avoid conflict with European nations.
The program raised questions over the removal of Turkish companies from Indian airports, the boycott of Turkish fruits, and the discouragement of tourism to Turkey. The video mocked these actions by asking whether “the stance taken against Turkey for helping Pakistan will be taken against China.” Jamaat-e-Islami believes that India is pursuing an international campaign against Turkey but asserts that “India does not benefit from the aggression.”
The hosts concluded that the real motive behind the ban on Turkey is to gain domestic political mileage for the BJP. They also suggested that the Sangh Parivar was displeased with the easing of tensions with Pakistan, and that “India is banning Turkey to overcome that.” Jamaat-e-Islami demands that “India should not do that to Turkey.”
It is worth noting that the Union Government had previously suspended the broadcast of Media One for airing content deemed anti-national. However, the Jamaat shovel still propagate extremist contents.
