Feb 17, 2025 10:12 PM IST
The festival, called ‘Thrithala’, is organised by the people of Thrithala panchayat every year and attracts widespread participation by the locals
The BJP in Kerala accused the CPI(M) government of supporting “anti-national and terror activities” for vote bank after posters of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah were spotted during a cultural festival in Palakkad district.
The festival, called ‘Thrithala’, is organised by the people of Thrithala panchayat every year and attracts widespread participation by the locals. The closing ceremony was celebrated on Sunday.
BJP Kerala president K Surendran alleged that “anti-national organisations and radical elements” are operating in the state and accused the state government of supporting it for “vote bank” politics. He also claimed that only the saffron party is against such activities.
“The tragic incident happened to criminal radical elements for vote bank politics,” Surendran said.
The BJP leader also posted a video of the event and claimed that the state government took no action against a rally in Kerala where a Hamas leader is alleged to have virtually participated.
“Now, in Palakkad, at a Urus festival, terrorists who killed thousands were glorified–pictures of Ismail Haniyeh & Yahya Sinwar were paraded on elephants, where a Communist Minister and a former Congress MLA were also present.” “What message is being sent here? Why is Pinarayi Vijayan silent again? If he has even an ounce of spine left, take action! If not, just resign and accept that you are a total ‘Parajayan’,” Surendran said.
The event organisers said that the photos were posted by “some groups” that participated in the festival.
‘Virtual speech’ by Hamas leader
In October 2023, the Solidarity Youth Movement (SYM), the youth wing of Jamaat, 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 controversy. The viral video showed posters carrying the tagline “Uproot bulldozer Hindutva and apartheid Zionism.”
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accused the BJP of trying to implicate people in false cases for merely expressing solidarity for Palestine and asserted that it would not be permitted in Kerala. “If something is wrong in that (virtual address), the police will examine it, and action will be taken”, he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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