Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor, MP, appeared to have put his party in an awkward spot by purportedly referring to Hamas as a terrorist organisation at the mammoth rally organised by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in Kozhikode on October 26, 2023 to proclaim solidarity with the Palestine cause.
Congress leadership in Kerala was yet to react to the contentious usage, which drew onstage criticism from IUML leaders M.K. Muneer, MLA, and M.P. Abdussamad Samadani. Both termed their opposition to Israel’s expansionist policies in Gaza and the West Bank as “legitimate resistance.”
(IUML is a staunch Congress ally and a prominent constituent in the United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition in Kerala.)