MALAPPURAM: Aryadan Shoukath has been directed to explain, to a Congress disciplinary committee, headed by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, his grounds for organising a Palestine solidarity meeting in Malappuram despite the party’s directive to call off the event. He will appear before the panel on Monday at the KPCC office in Thiruvananthapuram.
Congress state president K Sudhakaran said on Sunday the committee will arrive at a decision within a week. After the pro-Palestine rally was staged to demonstrate the strength of the ‘A’ group, which is at odds with the official faction led by party district president V S Joy and Wandoor MLA A P Anil Kumar, the KPCC sent a letter to Shoukath seeking an explanation for holding the event. Terming Shoukath’s clarification as unsatisfactory, it referred the matter to the disciplinary committee.
Vadakara MP K Muraleedharan said Shoukath’s action may not invite severe disciplinary action. “Action will be taken. However, I don’t anticipate strong measures keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha election. If Shoukath acknowledges his mistake (of organising the event), the issue can be resolved without further complications,” he said.
Muraleedharan said the issue poses a dilemma for other UDF allies. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second largest constituent of the front, has already called on the Congress leadership to resolve the issues in its Malappuram unit. The IUML leadership is concerned that the infighting in the Congress will impact the election prospects of the UDF in the district.
A source close to Shoukath clarified that circumstances compelled him to proceed with the pro-Palestine event despite the KPCC diktat. “Shoukath received the KPCC letter a day before its scheduled date. At that point, all arrangements for the event were in place, and even religious leaders were invited. Cancelling the event was not practical,” the source said.
The Shoukath-led ‘A’ group has repeatedly raised concerns over the sidelining of supporters of his late father Aryadan Muhammed. “Many who stood by Aryadan Muhammed were overlooked while selecting block presidents in Malappuram. During the selection of the madalam president, members chosen by the district-level consensus committee were removed from the list by the official faction. The party leadership should consider everyone and strive to maintain unity. The district leadership is struggling on this count,” the source said.
The pro-Palestine event demonstrated the strength of the faction led by Shoukath. Even after the KPCC cautioned party leaders against participation, many from the ‘A’ group took part. In addition, hundreds of people from across the district attended the event.
Taking this into consideration, strong action against Shoukath would only complicate matters for the Congress in Malappuram, especially since the CPM has invited Shoukath to its pro-Palestine functions. Moreover, there are reports circulating on social media that Shoukath has been offered an opportunity to contest the Ponnani Lok Sabha seat as an LDF-backed independent. The CPM is keen to leverage such leaders to make inroads into Malappuram -- a UDF stronghold.