The CPI (M) district committee has decided to publicly censure its secretariat member and former Thiruvambadi legislator George M. Thomas for his allusive references to love jihad after the elopement of Democratic Youth Federation of India local leader M.S. Shejin, belonging to the Muslim community with Joisna Joseph, a Christian, at Kodencherry triggered a controversy a week ago.
In a statement here on Wednesday, CPI(M) district secretary P. Mohanan said that Mr. Thomas had expressed his opinion when the media sought his response to the issue. This was rejecting the declared secular stand of the party on matters relating to interfaith marriage, he said.
He said that Mr. Thomas had admitted his mistake to the party leadership and that he had also clarified this to the media later. However, the corrective action was taken as the party seriously viewed the remarks Mr. Thomas had expressed publicly, Mr. Mohanan said.
Previously, Mr. Thomas had said that the marriage of Ms. Joisna with Mr. Shejin had shattered communal harmony and that love jiahd was a reality. After courting controversy, he retracted that the love jihad comment was a slip of the tongue and that the media twisted his words.
On Tuesday, the CPI(M) State committee, had asked the party district committee to examine the issue and take appropriate action against Mr. Thomas.
