Kannur: Responding to Sunni Yuvajana Sangham state secretary Nazar Faizi Koodathayi's remarks that the ruling CPM and its youth outfits were promoting intercaste marriages and mixed culture in the name of secularism, DYFI state secretary V K Sanoj said the statement was unbefitting of a civilised society. "Matters like religion and marriage are personal. Nobody has the right to stand in between a person and their choices," clarified Sanoj while meeting with the media in Kannur.

He said the remarks were not suitable for a progressive society. "At a time when all sections of society must fight together against communalism, statements like these can only be seen as an attempt to undermine that movement," said Sanoj.

He further said an individual's freedom to practice any religion or marry a person of their choice is guaranteed by the Constitution. "Whom to marry and how to live are all the individual's choice. The DYFI believes these rights must be protected at all costs," Sanoj added. The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) is the youth wing of the CPM.

Meanwhile, LDF convener E P Jayarajan said Koodathayi made those remarks over a misunderstanding and hoped the Sunni leader would soon realise and rectify it.

Calling it part of a "vicious political plan" of the Left, Koodathayi urged mahal committees to take extra vigil against the alleged trend of political parties and leaders supporting and promoting the marriage of Muslim women with non-Muslim persons. He also urged the mahal committees to stand united against such marriages being carried out after the alleged "kidnapping" of Muslim women.

He also alleged that a section of people was propagating that secularism and the culture of the country would prevail only if a Hindu married a Muslim community member. "With the support of party leaders and the media, they are kidnapping Muslim women and marrying them off to non-Muslims," he further charged. Koodathayi was speaking on Wednesday at the Sunni Mahallu Federation (SMF) Kozhikode district leadership meeting at Koyilandy.