Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has accused the CPI(M) of trying to make political mileage out of the large humanitarian Palestine issue.
Addressing the media after a brief meeting with Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal at the latter’s house at Panakkad near here on Tuesday, Mr. Satheesan said that the CPI(M) had approached the larger Palestine cause flippantly by trying to woo the IUML with political intentions.
“They are playing cheap politics,” he said while asked about the CPI(M) invitation to the Congress’s ally for its Palestine solidarity rally being held in Kozhikode on November 11.
“The fraternal bond between the Congress and the IUML is very strong. As for the CPI(M) invite, the IUML gave an excellent reply. It decided to stay away from the CPI(M) rally because the Congress was not invited. The IUML’s reply made us proud,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said several parties, including the Congress and the IUML, were upholding the cause of the Palestine. “None could hold such a mega rally held by the IUML in Kozhikode in support of the Palestine cause,” he said.
The Congress leader said that he was on a friendly visit to Panakkad, and that they discussed the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s preparations for and prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
He said that before the last Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and the IUML, the two key UDF constituents, had some differences in some panchayats.
“But today, there is not a single panchayat where the Congress is at loggerheads with the Muslim League. Our bonds are the strongest ever,” he said.
IUML national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty, who was also present, said that they discussed ways to strengthen the UDF in the runup to the general elections. “There was absolutely no other agenda in the meeting,” he said. Mr. Thangal too subscribed to Mr. Kunhalikutty’s statement during the media briefing.
Mr. Satheesan, however, refused to comment about the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leadership’s action against KPCC general secretary Aryadan Shoukath for conducting a pro-Palestine rally at Malappuram in defiance of the Congress whip.
He said the matter was before the Congress disciplinary committee headed by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, and that it was not fair for him to comment about it.
He said the Congress would not take the brutal attack on the KSU activists lightly. “There is no question of leaving our students as mere pawns. We are serious about them,” he said.
Both Mr. Satheesan and Mr. Kunhalikutty said that the Congress and the IUML were two separate parties within the UDF, and both parties had such strong leaderships to handle their internal matters. “We will not comment about or intervene in internal matters of other parties,” said Mr. Kunhalikutty. He refuted the claim that the IUML had expressed concern at the internal strife within the Congress.
