A group of people displayed posters of Lebanese slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and slain Hamas leaders including Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh at the “Thrithala Fest” in Kerala’s Palakkad on Sunday evening as part of the annual cultural festival.
The move has sparked nationwide political outrage with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing Kerala Congress leaders and the CPI(M) government of supporting “anti-national and terror activities” for the “Muslim appeasement” to gain vote bank.
BJP files police complaint
Subsequently, BJP state general secretary C Krishnakumar filed complaints with the state and district police chiefs against the organisers of the festival and also demanded an investigation and legal action against youths involved in the event.
Those named in the complaint were Mohammed Koopam, KP Sreenivasan, and Shabeer MN, president, secretary and treasurer respectively of the Thrithala Fest, The Hindu reported.
Further fueling the situation, other BJP leaders also posted videos of the event on social media. They asserted that the Kerala state government has taken no legal action against the rally organisers alleging that a Hamas leader virtually participated in the rally.
BJP leader demands CM’s resignation
BJP Kerala president K Surendran alleged that “radical elements” are operating in the state and claimed that only the saffron party is against such “terrorist activities”.
“Urus festival held in Palakkad showcased images of Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar on elephant carriages as part of their parade while Communist minister and former Congress MLA were present for the celebration. What message does this display communicate? Why is Pinarayi Vijayan silent again? If he has some courage left, take action,” said Surendran.
Surendran further went on to advise Pinarayi Vijayan to step down as chief minister of Kerala accusing him of failing to handle situations in the state.
‘Controversy to target Muslims’
Following the outrage and police complaints from BJP leaders, former MLA VT Balram addressed the issue in a Facebook post, criticising the pro-BJP media outlets and leaders for deliberately creating the controversy solely to target the Muslim community and Kerala state based on hatred.
He said that displaying the Hamas leader’s pictures is just a lame excuse for the Sangh Parivar. “They have their anti-Muslim hate filled into their hearts.” Balram clarified that the “Thrithala Fest” is a public event without religious affiliations.
“The event which happens every year “Truthala Fest” is organized as a public celebration of the land. It has not been happening as a religious celebration associated with any church or place of worship for the past some time. There are people from all religions and people’s representatives on the organizing committee of this. Various religious believers, various political party leaders and official systems are coming to support the program. A lot of tourists also come to see the Deshotsavam,” Balram said.
“Sangh Parivar media is misusing the controversies created by some people related to the program even at the national level against the Muslim community and Kerala. All non-Sanghis Indians are with the Palestinian people and their desires for freedom in the Israel-Palestine issue,” he said.
“The official stand of the Indian government is also in the same direction. Whether the leaders of the organization Hamas should be glorified can be discussed as another topic. But the Sangh Parivar who is using this issue for an anti-Muslim hate campaign needs to be defended precisely. For that, the land Trithala will be established together,” Balram added.
False cases for expressing solidarity for Palestine, says CM
The Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan accused the BJP of fabricating false case allegations against those who show solidarity with Palestinians. “The police will investigate these virtual matters to determine whether action needs to be taken,” he added.
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