Kannur , 24 August (H.S.):

CPM Kannur district secretary K.K. Ragesh has strongly criticised SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan over his remarks against former Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamseer, alleging that the statements were intended to benefit the Sangh Parivar.

Ragesh said Vellappally’s remarks reflected the communalism within him and accused the SNDP leader of repeatedly making statements against minorities and Malappuram district. He claimed that the CPM was the only political party to publicly oppose such remarks.

“Malappuram does not belong to any particular political party. People supporting all political parties live in the district. Did any Congress leader respond to Vellappally’s statement? The CPM responded, though the party believes its reaction should have been much stronger,” Ragesh said.

He said the CPM had clearly stated that Vellappally’s remarks were inappropriate and unacceptable. Despite this, the party continued to face criticism, while those who remained silent were not questioned, he added.

Ragesh said Vellappally should recognise that the CPM had expressed a principled disagreement with his statements. However, the SNDP leader continued to make similar remarks without acknowledging the party’s concerns.

The CPM viewed such statements as attempts to weaken Kerala’s secular social fabric, prompting Shamseer and other party leaders to respond, Ragesh said. He alleged that Shamseer was subsequently subjected to personal attacks merely for speaking against Vellappally’s remarks.

Explaining why the CPM had not adopted a more confrontational approach, Ragesh said the party did not want to push Vellappally closer to the Sangh Parivar. However, Vellappally had failed to understand the political reasoning behind the CPM’s measured response, he added.

Ragesh maintained that the party would continue to resist statements that promoted communal divisions or targeted any particular district or minority community in Kerala.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman