MALAPPURAM: Taking a dig at the Congress’ earlier confusion on attending the consecration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday urged all parties to understand the history and diverse culture of Malappuram.
He said doing so would provide them with conceptual strength to make firm secular decisions. He was speaking after releasing the book Malappuram: Myth and Reality published by Deshabhimani in Malappuram. He said the northern district sends out a message that there should not be any dilution in the secular stand.
“All, especially political parties, should strive to understand the history and diverse culture of the region. If they do, they will gain the conceptual strength to decide on accepting or rejecting the invitation when they receive it from some centres, understanding the communal side of the matter. I hope this book will help all parties take a strong secular stand,” he said.
Citing the example of the 1921 Malabar Revolt, Pinarayi said some centres tried to label Malappuram as a region of communal violence. “The 1921 peasant revolt in Malabar was termed as Mappila Rebellion by the British. Hindutva communal forces also echoed this opinion. The British tried to suppress the revolt through measures like imposing the Atrocities Act. Now, the government that supports Hindutva has removed names of peasant revolt leaders Variyankunnath Kunjahammad Haji and Alikutty Musliyar from the list of freedom fighters,” Pinarayi said.
“However, William Logan in his book ‘Malabar Manual’ said the real character of the 1921 revolt was not communal. Britain gave more powers to the landlords and when they used it to overpower peasants, they reacted as they were left with no choice. This is what Logan mentioned about the revolt,” Pinarayi said.
He said some people are trying to degrade Malappuram even by creating movies. He urged all those who try to distort the facts related to Malappuram to stay away from such attempts.