No communal remarks ever made about Malappuram by party: CPM

Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary M V Govindan on Sunday said that the party has never made any communal remarks about Malappuram district and it has only criticised how communalism has influenced the ideology of political parties like the Indian Union Muslim League.

Govindan, speaking to reporters, clarified that it was the party's stand that in Malappuram and in Keralam, due to the influence of Jamaat-e-Islami, members of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) were being pushed into communalism.

"That is what we have criticised and that is the party's stand. We have not said anything against the district. Malappuram was part of the Indian freedom struggle and people from all religions participated in that," he said.

His clarification comes a day after CPI(M) leader and former MLA P Nandakumar allegedly described Malappuram district as a "nest of fundamentalists and communalists" during a party event there.

The alleged remark was made while Nandakumar was delivering the welcome address at an extended CPI-M district committee meeting here on Saturday, attended by senior party leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan.

According to the police, several organisations, including the Muslim Youth League, have lodged complaints against Nandakumar over his remarks. -- PTI