Congress wants us to ignore Sudhakaran’s pro-Sangh utterances: IUML
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Days after the KPCC president said he favoured Sangh parivar representation in the senates of universities, the Congress state leadership has reportedly advised the Muslim League not to take K Sudhakaran’s words seriously — to douse the fire over the controversial remark.
Although Sudhakaran has made pro-Hindutva statements in the past, the latest has come at a time when the Muslim minority is feeling demoralised after the assembly results in the three Hindi belt states went in favour of the BJP. Although there is strong resentment within the various community organisations regarding the position taken by the state Congress president, they have decided not to publicly air it for the time being.
“Congress leaders have urged us not to take Sudhakaran’s statement seriously,” said Muslim League state general secretary PMA Salam. “They attributed it to his health issues and oblivion. Even when we brought his previous such statements to the notice of Congress leaders and they advised us to ignore them,” he told TNIE.
However, the Muslim Youth League is of the view that the Congress president has exceeded his mark. “No one could accept such a statement favouring the Sangh Parivar,” Youth League state general secretary P K Firoz said. “He should explain the context in which he made such a statement, which came on the day he was suspended from Parliament, along with other Opposition members. The Congress is our only remaining hope. In this situation, such a statement can have far-reaching consequences,” he said.
Even as many major Muslim organisations have raised strong objections to Sudhakaran’s statement, the AP and EK Sunni factions chose not to speak. “Let the politicians speak. Usually, we do not speak on political issues,” Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama president Jifri Muthukoya Thangal said. However, some faction leaders said that Sudhakaran’s continuous remarks are a clear indication of his soft Hindutva leanings, which are contradictory to the Congress-UDF position.
Muslim Educational Society (MES) president P A Abdul Gafoor called Sudhakaran an irresponsible politician who had been parachuted into the post of KPCC president, which he is not fit for. “He is just a local Kannur leader. His main activity was to contain the CPM.
For that, there are chances that he may have collaborated with the RSS. It is interesting to note that Sudhakaran never favours CPM, which is not the case with the RSS. If Congress is to go forward with him in the top post it would be a disaster for the party. His comments come at a time when the Muslim community is feeling insecure after the assembly election results in three north Indian states,” Gafoor said.