New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said that the participation of a Hamas leader at an event in Kerala shows “the failure of the Pinarayi Vijayan government.” The organisers of the event justified it as “nothing unusual”.
Hamas leader Khaled Mashal on Saturday participated virtually and also addressed a protest program organised by an Islamist group in the state against Israel’s war with the militant outfit.
Sharing a poster displaying Mashal’s participation in the event organised by the district wing of the Movement in Malappuram, Kerala BJP chief K Surendran alleged that the situation had reached this extent in traditionally secular Kerala. “Terrorist leaders of Hamas themselves take part in events [in the state]. It was virtual participation only because he didn’t obtain a visa. The organisers’ intentions were evident…,” Surendran said in a Facebook post.
Taking to X, Surendran said that the virtual address by the Hamas leader was “alarming”.
Hamas leader Khaled Mashel’s virtual address at the Solidarity event in Malappuram is alarming. Where’s @pinarayivijayan‘s Kerala Police ? Under the guise of ‘Save Palestine,’ they’re glorifying Hamas, a terrorist organization, and its leaders as ‘warriors.’ This is… pic.twitter.com/51tWi88wTb
— K Surendran (@surendranbjp) October 27, 2023
Meanwhile, Suhaib CT, state president of the Solidarity Youth Movement, justified the virtual participation of the Hamas leader and said there was “no need to see anything unusual in that”.
“He took part in our programme organised to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to condemn the onslaught by Israel. No need to see anything unusual in that,” news agency PTIquoted Suhaib CT as saying.
Suhaib said Hamas is not an organisation that is operational in India or a banned outfit, and so his participation is not a crime under the law. There would be many more solidarity events in India, which would prove the support of the Indians for the Palestinian people, Suhaib said.
The BJP Kerala chief urged both Kerala police and central agencies to investigate the incident further.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said that it is unfortunate that the Kerala government is giving a platform to such organisations. “Will the Congress party which is part of INDI alliance, condemn this? Why is INDI alliance supporting Hamas who killed more than 700 people? Terrorists are being given platforms. In the name of vote bank politics, terrorists are being given platforms. Using Palestine as an excuse, attempts are made to protect Hamas,” Shehzad Poonawalla said.
Kerala BJP vice president VT Rema also expressed “shock” over the participation of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal at the pro-Palestine rally and said a “group of Islamic terrorists” has “shown their real mindset” in a secular country like India.
