Congress’ ally in Kerala, the Indian Union Muslim League’s state President Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal sparked a controversy with his recent remark on Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
Addressing an event on January 24 at Manjeri near Malappuram, Thangal said, “There is no need to protest against the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya as both the new temple and the proposed mosque would strengthen secularism in the country.” A video of his speech went viral on Sunday, news agency PTI reported.
While the Indian National League (INL), a coalition partner of the ruling CPI(M) led-LDF government in Kerala lashed out at the IUML leader, the Congress party and the IUML defended Thangal and said he was trying to prevent any campaign of hatred and attempts to divide society.
Addressing the event at Manjeri, Thangal had said that the Ram temple which is “worshipped and revered by the majority of the people” in the country “is a reality”.
“We cannot go back from that. There is no need for us to protest against it. The temple came up based on a court order and the Babri Masjid is about to be constructed. These two are now part of India. The Ram temple and the proposed Babri Masjid are two best examples that strengthen secularism of our country,” Thangal was seen saying in the video.
“We know that it (Babri Masjid) was destroyed by the karsevaks and we had protested against it at that time,” he said, adding that Indian Muslims dealt with it maturely.
Indian National League (INL) Kerala State Secretariat Member NK Abdul Azeez in a Facebook post said that political leaders are not ignorant of the fact that Gandhi’s Ram Rajya is different from the Ram Rajya of the RSS.
“The spiritual Hindu religion of a believer is different from the political Hindutva of the RSS and the political leaders are not ignorant of this fact. Yet they are making a fool of its ranks. It’s not possible to believe that the ordinary party workers of IUML will accept this position,” Azeez said.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and senior IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty came out in support of Thangal and said his words were misinterpreted.
The consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was a grand affair, celebrated by millions of Hindus not just in India, but worldwide. The temple has been built on a 2.67-acre site inside a 70-acre complex and only its first phase is ready. The second and final phase is expected to be completed by December 2025.
The temple, which opened to the public on January 23 following the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, has attracted an estimated 18.75 lakh devotees from across the country. The first day alone had a staggering 5 lakh visitors, and the numbers have remained consistently high, with daily visits averaging more than 2 lakh.
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