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N P CHEKKUTTY
KOZHIKODE, April 1: The innocuous dhoti has become the object of a political tug-of-war in North Kerala, with Communist Party of India (Marxist) Member of the Legislative Assembly from Wandoor N Kannan accusing Islamic extremists in Malappuram of banning shops run by Muslims from selling black dhotis worn by Sabarimala devotees.
Kannan levelled this charge in the State Assembly last week, but Muslim groups vehemently deny the charge.The National Development Front (NDF), a group formed recently, has begun a State-wide campaign against the spread of ``calumnies and false allegations'' against them in the media. They allege that even `secular parties' are repeating the false propaganda against them, saying they are ``prey to the communal agenda of fascist forces.''
``We are being wrongly accused of all these things,'' says NDF supreme council member and former chairman E Aboobacker. ``The media is being misled by vested interests. Look at the allegation made by Kannan in the Assembly. We havenever called for any ban on Sabarimala dhotis and we will never do so. Even in the case of Thasni Banu, there was a concerted move to blow the issue out of proportion when it was a minor family dispute. While these people accuse us of denying a girl her freedom to choose her husband, the fact remains that the NDF is not at all involved in the matter.''
Strongly denying the allegation about ban on sale of Sabarimala clothes in Muslim shops, Aboobacker said the NDF had already written to Assembly Speaker M Vijayakumar and others protesting against the charge. ``We are waiting for their reply,'' he says.
N Kannan, MLA from Wandoor, however, defends his charge. Says he: ``I have been informed about such developments in various parts of the district by the progressive literary movement activists who have also issued a statement containing these charges.'' He, however, is unable to give any specific case where such a ban had been sought to be imposed. ``I will collect the details and forward them to theSpeaker,'' he says. But the CPI (M), the progressive literary movement and the rationalists' organisation, who were recently in the forefront against NDF activities in Malappuram, assert that there is a tendency among Muslim fundamentalist groups to indulge in terror tactics which should be resisted.
``They are engaged in a double game,'' says K Saidalikkutty, CPI (M) district secretary, who feels the NDF is actively involved in a number of communal campaigns which would only serve to help Hindu fascist forces. ``This is a dangerous trend and we will oppose it.''
The CPI (M) came out strongly against fundamentalist activities in Malappuram when some Muslim groups tried to prevent a poor Muslim girl from Manjeri, Thansi Banu, from marrying her lover. Later, two school teachers, Jaffar and Fouziya, were attacked for their support to Thasni Banu.``We cannot allow such blatant attacks on personal freedom to go unchecked here,'' says Saidalikkutty. These developments, according to him, will ultimately lead toa communal division as Hindu groups are also banking on such sensitive issues.
The Muslim League, the biggest party in the area, used to speak out strongly against such extremist views but of late, they have been keeping silent, says the CPI (M) secretary, making it clear that in these circumstances, it was necessary for his party to intervene.
``This is a wrong allegation. The Muslim League had always taken a consistent position against all kinds of extremism and we continue to hold our views,'' says Korambayil Ahamed Haji, who wants to know of at least one instance where his party has supported any extremist action. He said the Muslim League spoke out whenever it noticed unwelcome tendencies in the community and even called for a joint campaign with other secular parties to stem the rot.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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