MALAPPURAM: The SDPI has warned the 16 UDF MLAs from Malappuram that they could face public opposition if they fail to ensure the bifurcation of the district and the formation of Tirur district.
V T Ikramul Haq, SDPI leader and chairman of the party’s Malappuram District Bifurcation Struggle Committee, said democratic-minded citizens would decide whether the MLAs should be allowed to enter the district if the demand remained unfulfilled. He asserted that any new district formed in Keralam should be carved out of Malappuram.
The party has announced a human chain on January 26 as part of its agitation for the district. “Even 55 years after its formation, the district remains underdeveloped due to its large population and administrative challenges. Bifurcation is the only viable solution,” Ikramul told a press meet.
Meanwhile, IUML vice-president P Abdul Hameed dismissed the SDPI’s campaign as an attempt to claim credit for an initiative taken up by the UDF. “We have already initiated the proposal for bifurcation and met the revenue minister. The SDPI is trying to create an impression that it alone is exerting pressure for a new district so that it can claim credit,” he said. Hameed also brushed aside the warning to UDF MLAs, saying they would not be intimidated by such threats.