Defying the Congress State leadership and heavy rain, a large number of Congress workers took out a rally here on Friday evening expressing solidarity with the people of Palestine. The rally held under the banner of the Aryadan Foundation was in defiance of the Congress leadership’s stand.
Hundreds of Congress men and women attended the rally led by Aryadan Foundation working chairman and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary Aryadan Shoukath.
The KPCC leadership had served a notice on Mr. Shoukath on Thursday warning him that the rally would be considered as a divisive act. District Congress Committee (DCC) president V.S. Joy too warned party workers and local leaders in Malappuram that action would be taken against them if they attended Mr. Shoukath’s rally.
The organisers claimed that nearly 10,000 people attended the rally and a public meeting by raising the message “no war, free Palestine”. Addressing the meeting, Mr. Shoukath wondered how a rally held in solidarity with the Palestinian people could become an act of divisiveness.
He said the Congress had stood with the Palestinian liberation struggle along with the Indian freedom movement. The Congress passed a resolution supporting the Palestinian liberation movement in the All India Congress Committe meeting in 1938, he said.
Mr. Shoukath said it was the Congress that said that the people who created Israel for Jews were opening a door to hell. “The Congress stood with the people of Palestine then and now. Then why a ban on the Palestine rally by the Aryadan Foundation,” he asked.
He said he would give a detailed reply to the KPCC. Congress veteran and former MP C. Haridas presided over the function. Darul Huda Islamic University Vice-chancellor Bahauddin Nadvi, Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen leader Husain Madavur, and senior Congress leader R.S. Panikkar jointly inaugurated the rally by flying doves.
Youth Congress State vice-president Riyas Mukkoli administered a pledge supporting the people of Palestine. Former KPCC general secretary V.A. Karim, DCC vice-president Veekshanam Mohammed, treasurer Vallanchira Shoukathali, general secretaries V. Sudhakaran, P. Radhakrishnan, Ummer Kurikkal, and K.A. Padmakumar, and Youth Congress State secretaries P. Nidheesh and P.K. Noufal Babu spoke.
