KL This Week: BJP Leaders Booked for Spreading Messages to 'Create Religious Animosity'

NewsClick brings you a round-up of the key developments from across Kerala during the past week, including the government of Kerala moving to the Supreme Court against the delay from the office of the Governor in approving Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly, the cases filed against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for "spreading hate messages" after the blast in Kalamassery, and the discussion regarding the participation of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Samastha Kerala Jamyathul Ulama in the pro-Palestine rally organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].

CASES FILED AGAINST BJP LEADERS AFTER KALAMASSERY BLAST

The Kerala police have filed cases against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and several other BJP leaders for allegedly promoting enmity among different communities after the blast at a convention of the Jehovah's Witnesses, which killed three people.

Before any conclusive evidence emerged about the blast, an array of BJP leaders started spreading messages about the attacks being “orchestrated by supporters of Hamas”. It was revealed, however, that Dominic Martin, a follower of Jehovah's Witnesses until recently, surrendered to the police after triggering the triple blasts made by IED on his own.

The case was soon taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Several BJP leaders, led by Chandrasekhar, national spokesperson Anil K Antony, state president K Surendran, and several others took to social media platforms to “spread hate speech”, linking the bombing to the Palestine solidarity event held a day ago. Certain right-wing influencers claimed that those killed were Jews, creating outrage. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reacted strongly to the comments of BJP leaders for “fake propaganda to disturb the harmony in the state”. The Kerala Police, in a recently published statement, informed that 54 cases have been filed, relating to spreading false news regarding the Kalamassery blasts, including the cases against BJP leaders.

GOVT MOVES SC OVER GOVERNOR’S INACTION

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government moved SC on November 2 due to the inordinate delay by the Governor in providing assent to the Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly. The government has informed the apex court that eight Bills are pending before the Governor, with three Bills put on hold for more than two years.

The chief secretary to the government of Kerala and CPI(M) MLA T P Ramakrishnan have approached the SC against the Governor.

The government has accused the Governor of threatening to defeat and subvert the fundamental and basic foundations of the Constitution, including the rule of law and democratic good governance, apart from defeating the rights of the people of the state to the welfare measures sought to be implemented through the Bills.

The University Laws Amendment Bill (1st Amendment) 2021 and University Laws Amendment Bill (2nd Amendment) 2021 [APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (Mal)] are awaiting approval from the Governor for two years. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has been at loggerheads with the LDF government for a prolonged period on issues relating to approving Bills unanimously passed by the Assembly.

DEBATE IN IUML OVER PARTICIPATION IN CPI(M) RALLY

The IUML has turned down the invitation from the CPI(M) to attend the pro-Palestine rally scheduled to be held on November 11 in Kozhikode. The decision came after a high-level committee met to decide on the CPI(M)’s invite, following turbulence within the party and the United Democratic Front (UDF).

The Congress Party, the principal party in the UDF, had to walk a tightrope as different opinions came up from the IUML camp. The Congress and IUML have been on different sides on several recently held events, including the seminar organized by the CPI(M) on Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Although the IUML had not participated in both politically important events, the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, an influential scholarly body of the Sunni Muslims in the state has cooperated with the CPI(M).

Meanwhile, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) gag order preventing the Aryadan Foundation (formed in memory of former Congress leader Aryadan Mohammed) from holding a pro-Palestine rally was breached, as massive crowds, despite heavy rain, participated in the rally in Malappuram. KPCC General Secretary Aryadan Shoukath led the rally and announced that he will present his explanation to the KPCC.

KOZHIKODE RECEIVES UNESCO'S CITY OF LITERATURE TAG

Kozhikode, a traditional city in the North or Malabar region of Kerala, has received the 'City of Literature' tag from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Fifty-five new cities have entered the list, representing seven fields, including crafts and folk arts, design, and literature.

With a rich tradition of literary and cultural background, historic libraries, and publishing houses, the city has been included under the literature category in the UCCN. A group of students from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut, has been credited with carrying out the documentation work, leading to recognition from UNESCO.

WORKER TRAMPLED TO DEATH 'BY ELEPHANT'

A 58-year-old plantation worker was found dead in Meppadi in Wayanad district due to a suspected elephant attack in the early hours of November 4. Kunjavaran, the deceased, was reportedly proceeding to the private plantation to carry out his regular work. There was continuous human-animal conflict in the region, with coffee and cardamom plantations.

The region falls under the Elembilery region of the South Wayanad forest division.