Viral video sparks controversy, CM Pinarayi orders probe
“Kerala govt hand in glove with terror orgs”: Alleges BJP leader Anil Antony
BI News,Kochi : A video of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal addressing an event organised by Islamist radical group Jamaat’s Solidarity Youth Movement had sparked a controversy. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the police will probe the virtual address by Hamas leader at an event in the state.
Responding to a question on remarks made by Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Bharatiya Janata Party chief JP Nadda who alleged that the ruling government did nothing to prevent the Hamas leader’s address, Vijayan said,”If something wrong has happened, appropriate action would be taken”.
“The person referred to as a Palestinian warrior spoke at an event organised by the Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. We need to see what he said. “It appears that the speech was a recorded one. We need to understand that issue properly”, Vijayan said.
Vijayan said that when Jamaat-e-Islami or any other organisation approaches the police for permission to hold an event, it is not denied. “That is what happened in the instant case,” he said.
“If something is wrong in that, the police will examine it, and action will be taken”, he added. The chief minister alleged that the BJP was aiming at implicating people in false cases for merely expressing support for Palestine, and asserted that it would not be permitted in Kerala.
Solidarity Youth Movement (SYM), the youth wing of Jamaat had organised a rally in solidarity with the people of Palestine. A video showing Khaled Mashal, the founding member of Hamas politburo, addressing the event via videoconferencing stirred a controversy. The viral video showed posters carrying tagline “Uproot bulldozer Hindutva and apartheid Zionism”.
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Under fire from the BJP, SYM’s state chief Suhaib CT had argued that there was nothing “unusual or illegal” about the Hamas leader’s attendance at the event.
“Hamas is not a banned organisation in India nor has it been declared as a terrorist outfit. It does not operate in India as well. Their leaders have spoken several times to the people in Kerala at programmes in the past”, he had said.
Speaking on the Hamas leader’s virtual address at a pro-Palestine rally in Kerala, BJP leader Anil Antony condemned the incident and lambasted the CM Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in the state. Antony said, “The last few years in Kerala have seen the growing rise of a lot of fundamentalist organizations… Right now, Kerala is ruled by the Communist Party. The Congress Party and Muslim League are two prominent opposition parties. All three of them are part of the INDIA alliance.Yesterday in Kerala, a terror leader was addressing a massive crowd virtually. The BJP strongly condemns all these activities.In the last few months, the NIA has done various investigations in Kerala. Once again, NIA will have to step in.The state government is in hand and gloves with these terrorist organizations.”
