KOZHIKODE: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has announced the reconstitution of the state committee of Haritha --- a collective of girls under the organisation --- which was dissolved for alleged indiscipline. In a press release issued here on Sunday, IUML state acting general secretary P M A Salam said Ayesha Banu, who was the treasurer in the disbanded committee, will be the new state president.
Rumaisa Rafeeq has been appointed the general secretary. Najva Haneena, Shahida Rashid and Ayma Mariam have been named vice-presidents. Nayana Suresh is the treasurer while Afshila and Fayisa S are the new secretaries.
The IUML’s high-powered committee, which met in Malappuram on September 8, had announced the dissolution of the Haritha state committee. The party had stated the girls violated discipline by going to the Kerala State Women’s Commission with a complaint against MSF leaders, including the state president P K Navas, for verbally insulting them.
Police arrested Navas on Friday for the sexually-coloured remarks against the girls and released him on bail. Meanwhile, addressing the MSF mandalam committee meeting at Ponnani on Sunday, Salam alleged the former Haritha leaders had some ulterior motives in raising the allegations. The party cannot remain as a silent witness when the directions of the Panakkad family are disregarded, he said.
Holding groupism in the MSF as the reason for the developments, Salam said Navas’ remarks were not the real reason for the controversy. His words were used as a tool, Salam said. The girls should have informed the party if they had any difference of opinion. But they chose to go to the television channels instead of approaching the party leadership, Salam said.
He alleged that those who have not attended Haritha’s meeting in the past four years also signed the complaint submitted to the women’s commission. The party has made all attempts to solve the issue and held discussions many times. But those who agreed to solve the issue at the meeting went to the media with different stories.Salam said apart from him, Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, P K Kunhalikutty, Kutty Ahamed Kutty, E T Muhammad Basheer and M K Muneer had participated in the discussions to solve the issues raised by Haritha, he said.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the dissolved Haritha state committee said that their fight was for ‘honourable existence.’ Participating a discussion in Clubhouse on Saturday night they said they are overwhelmed by the support from the society for the fight.