Kozhikode: Indian Union Muslim League leader M K Muneer reminded Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that his party, a political organisation, was part of the state government led by EMS Namboodiripad.
Responding to Vijayan's query whether League is a political party, Muneer on Saturday sought to know whether the Chief Minister is a communist.
Asserting that the League is a political organisation, Muneer said even communists were not viewing Vijayan as a fellow communist. The chief minister who wonders whether League is a political outfit is suffering from hallucination, he added.
Muneer also touched upon League's protest against the state government's decision to entrust the Public Service Commission the recruitments to the Waqf Board.
Since the government — and not mosques — had made the decision to assign the Public Service Commission (PSC) to make appointments to the Waqf Board, the League has every right to intervene in the issue. The AKG Centre, the state headquarters of the CPM, need not decide on what the League should do, Muneer said.
The League leader alleged that the chief minister is not a man of words, and hence the lack of trust on his promises. He has not kept his word against charging those who had participated in the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). It is incorrect to say one particular community should not do anything. The chief minister is trying to hijack religions.
Earlier, the chief minister had challenged the League on the issue of leaving the Waqf Board appointments to PSC. "You do whatever you can, it's not an issue to us," was the official refrain to divide the community, the League alleged.
"You decide what you are: Is League a political party or a religious organisation?" the chief minister had asked.
The issue turned ugly when Muslim League State Secretary Abdurahiman Kallai launched a personal attack against Vijayan's son-in-law and minister P A Mohammed Riyas at a rally here on Thursday.
Incidentally, Muslim League was part of the second EMS ministry in 1967-'69.