THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Norka-Roots has come out with a clarification after its decision to give affiliation to the Qatar unit of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) - a pro-Muslim League NRK association based in the Gulf - took a political turn. Certain quarters had linked the Norka-Roots director board’s decision to the recent overtures of the CPM to the Muslim League. Norka-Roots clarified that not only KMCC, any NRK organisation that caters to all sections of society and does not promote sectarianism among expatriates was eligible for the affiliation.
According to Norka-Roots resident vice-chairperson P Sreeramakrishnan, it was decided earlier not to give affiliation to expatriate associations that create divisions among the Malayali diaspora. Accordingly, the affiliation process remained suspended for the past few years. However, in the wake of Qatar KMCC applying for affiliation, the Norka-Roots board of directors tasked a sub-committee headed by the resident vice-chairperson to look into the application.
“After examining KMCC’s functioning in detail, it was decided to provide affiliation to the organisation on the recommendations of the sub-committee. Also, the organisation was asked to sign an undertaking that it would not promote sectarianism in any manner,” Sreeramakrishnan said in a statement. He added that Norka-Roots would also consider applications of other expatriate organisations on a case-by-case basis before deciding on granting affiliation.