Malappuram: Although the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama has thrown its weight behind the Indian Union Muslim League, the party was peeved after the mouthpiece of the Sunni clerics' body published two advertisements from the LDF.
The spreadsheet 'Suprabhatham' published on Wednesday a jacket ad (that wraps around the outside of a newspaper) featuring Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and a full-page ad seeking votes for KK Shailaja. The advertisements appeared in the daily a day after Samastha leadership issued a statement dousing speculations of its discord with IUML.
When the LDF ad was published as a jacket page, the UDF ad was featured only on the last page of the daily, it was pointed out. The ad promoted LDF as a saviour for minority groups.
A few days ago, some suspected IUML loyalists at Tirurangadi set fire to copies of Suprabhatham daily that carried LDF's election ad. Ignoring this protest, Suprabhatham dared to give priority to LDF advertisements upholding the commercial interests, which has not gone down well with the League, sources said.
Amid the alleged discord between Samastha and IUML, Suprabhatham's decision to carry LDF's ads has added fuel to the fire. This at a time when the League made an effort to clear the air on the alleged crack in its relationship with Samastha and made the Jifri Muthukoya Thangal issue a press statement in which Thangal appealed to members of the body to refrain from any campaigns that affect the harmonious relationship with the IUML.
