KOZHIKODE: Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF), the student’s wing of the Sunni organisation Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, has deplored the poor representation of Muslims in the Congress reorganisation process.
SKSSF state vice-president Sathar Panthaloor said there is no Muslim among the block presidents in Kasaragod, Wayanad, Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta.
“It was after a long interval that Congress effected a reorganisation. As many as 280 block presidents were appointed in 140 constituencies,” he said.
Sathar said Congress is a party that has no hesitation in admitting that religious, caste, group and geographical considerations play a role in party reorganisation. But there is not even a single Muslim name in the list of block presidents in five districts, he added.
One may wonder whether Congress has decided to die by suicide when we find that there is no Muslim representation in Kasaragod where the community is 37% and in Wayanad where the strength is 32%.
“Muslims in Karnataka have no two choices in their fight against fascism. Congress’ Assembly representation in Malabar is confined to two seats in Kannur and Wayanad, and one each in Malappuram and Kasaragod. The continuation of the LDF rule is the result of Congress’ blindness to the political message,” Sathar said.
He deplored that the Congress did not remember while going for the organisational reshuffle that Wayanad is the headquarters of the constituency represented by its national leader Rahul Gandhi. The SKSSF leader’s remark has come a day after the Election Commission started the process for a by-election in the Wayanad constituency that became vacant after Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP following a court order that sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment. The IUML extended full support to Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 elections leading to his impressive win of over four lakh votes.
SKSSF had expressed similar sentiments of poor representation in the Congress candidate list for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But the issue got submerged in the political discussions after the candidature of Rahul Gandhi.