THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM, which leads the Left government in Kerala, on Friday branded the Opposition agitation against Minister K T Jaleel as “anti- Quran”, seen as a party strategy to shift focus from gold smuggling controversy to the Islam’s holy book even as the UDF termed it as a move to appease the minority community by playing the communal card. “Does anyone take a stand against Gita distribution here? Does anyone block Bible distribution? Why do they find fault with Quran distribution alone? This is our question.
This is a purposeful campaign against Jaleel,” CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said in reply to a question at a news conference here. Kodiyeri said it was common for the embassies to gift religious texts to visitors. The Opposition parties, which have been organising widespread protests and violent clashes with police over the last seven days after central agencies Enforcement Directorate and NIA questioned Jaleel in connection with the case of gold smuggling through diplomat i c channel, have cried foul over bringing up holy Quran into the entire issue.
LDF giving BJP a chance to excel in state: League
Muslim League national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty, MP, and Opposition deputy leader M K Muneer, MLA, maintained that the LDF and Jaleel have been triggering religious sentiments under the guise of the gold smuggling case. Talking to reporters at the Cantonment House, the official residence of opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala here, they said the holy text has been deliberately dragged into the controversy. “Initially Jaleel and the LDF had been saying about charity and alms giving (Zakat) during the Ramzan period which gave way to Ramadan kits imported from the UAE and now it’s all about Quran,” said Kunhalikutty.
“There is a deliberate attempt from the side of the LDF and Jaleel to distract the actual issue of gold smuggling and instead flare up the communal angle,” he said. In an interview to TNIE on Thursday, Jaleel had said whether Panakkad Thangal was ready to swear by the Quran. “Does he believe that I’m a fraud or someone who supports black money and related activities? If he swears by the Quran about any such thing, I will listen to whatever he says,” he had said. BJP state president K Surendran said Jaleel was trying to play the victim card by invoking religion.
“This is a tactic adopted by all culprits. Jaleel claims he was called as a witness. However, those who are listed as accused are initially called for questioning in this manner,” he said. The Muslim League leaders said the common enemy of the LDF and the UDF should be the BJP, who has just one seat in the state assembly. “But the LDF is giving the BJP an opportunity to excel in the state,” said Kunhalikutty.
LDF to put up a brave face against protests
T’Puram: The LDF state committee, which met here on Friday, decided to put up a brave front against the Opposition’s violent protests. It observed that K T Jaleel need not resign.
I can be killed, but not defeated:
Jaleel T’Puram: A day after he was questioned for seven hours by the NIA, an embattled K T Jaleel continued to maintain that the opponents could be able to kill him but not defeat him.
JALEEL NEED NOT RESIGN: CPM
T’Puram: The CPM state secretariat, which met here on Friday, pledged its full support to embattled Minister K T Jaleel and said the Opposition protests were aimed at sabotaging the government. “Jaleel won’t resign. The secretariat viewed the agitations as politically motivated,” said party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. “Many people will be interrogated as part of a probe. That does not mean all of them will be arraigned as accused in the case. Let the probe agencies conduct a fair probe and make their conclusion,” he said.