THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Muslim League All India General secretary PK Kunhalikutty has said that the state government should have filed a review petition in Supreme court in the Sabarimala issue. He was addressing a “Meet the Press” programme organised by the Thiruvananthapuram press club.
He also said, " Government should have called an all-party meeting in the Sabarimala issue and discussed threadbare the intricacies involved with political parties and found a solution."
The Muslim League leader said, "The state government has totally failed on the Sabarimala issue and the statements of the ministers and the concerned people has created undue unrest in the hill shrine. He said that this has given a space for the BJP and the Sangh Parivar to unnecessarily exploit the issue".
The former minister said, "Oommen Chandy as Chief Minister had filed an affidavit in Supreme court in 2016 that the status quo should be maintained and this is the political stand of the UDF". Kunhalikutty said, " UDF and the Muslim League are with the believers in the issue, the government should not have gone for a confrontation process with the believers in this".
He lashed out at the Modi government at the centre. He said, "BJP national leadership feels that the political speeches of Modi will garner vote for the NDA and BJP and bring the front back to power which is totally baseless and wrong".
The senior leader said, “The day to day hike in Petroleum prices is taking its toll on the government and people are totally worried at this untimely hike and the general public will give a fitting reply to the BJP and the Modi government”.
Kunhalikutty said that the price of the rupee is falling and this is another major matter of worry and added that both the state government of the LDF and the Central government under NDA is not taking into care the woes of the people.
The Muslim League leader also said, “Modi is now trying to erase the memory and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru which is totally unacceptable”.
When asked on the FIR registered against former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal on the petition filed by Saritha Nair, Kunhalikutty said” This is a non issue and there are instances of the same petitioner speaking of Oommen Chandy to be like her father and which statement of the petitioner is to be taken into account”.
He further added, "If the government is moving ahead with the case, then the UDF will fight against it both legally and politically".
On a question regarding the warring Sunni factions of EK and AP coming together and the Muslim League’s position on the same, he said, ” Muslim League welcomes the coming together of all social groups and the party has no issues regarding the same”.