Thiruvananthapuram: A major row, which the LDF and the UDF in Kerala are trying to cap, has broken out after a procession organised by a section of youth belonging to the minority community carried huge portraits atop elephants of slain Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar during an annual cultural fest in Muslim-dominated Thirthala in Palakkad district.
While the local mosque in Thirthala distanced itself from the ‘Thirthala Fest’, the BJP has been organising protests in Palakkad for the past three days. The fest drew sharp criticism on social media.
The LDF and the UDF are trying to play down the fest as CPM minister MB Rajesh and Congress leader and former minister VT Balram – both from Palakkad – took part in the fest that was organised Sunday night.
The social media in Kerala was abuzz with many questioning the organisers for allowing such banners.
Sources in the organising committee were quoted in the media as saying that a section of young people tried to trigger a communal issue. They said the procession was in no way connected to any religious group.
In a Facebook post, Balram criticised a section of the media for allegedly using the controversy surrounding the Thrithala Fest to target the Muslim community and defame Kerala. He condemned the Sangh Parivar for allegedly using the matter as part of an anti-Muslim hate campaign.
He pointed out that the 'Thrithala Fest' is an annual public celebration of the region, not a religious event linked to any mosque or place of worship.
He noted that the festival's organising committee includes representatives from various religious and political backgrounds.
Meanwhile, the BJP has demanded that a case be registered against the event's organisers.
BJP state president K Surendran termed the incident "shocking" and accused both the ruling and opposition parties of appeasement politics.
He also linked the episode to a past event where a Hamas leader allegedly addressed a gathering in Kerala.
No case has been registered as no complaints have been received yet, the police said.
