Senior Muslim League leader Abdurahiman Randathani on Tuesday, December 13, courted controversy over his speech against gender-neutral initiatives of the Left government in Kerala. He opposed girls and boys sitting together in classrooms, and claimed they were being taught about masturbation and homosexuality, implying sex education was wrong. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader made the comments during a Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) protest march against the Left government over various issues.
"Just imagine what will happen if teenagers are made to sit together and taught about masturbation and homosexuality. What will happen to the culture of this land," Randathani was seen saying in a video of the protest which went viral.
Attacking the Communist Party of India-led (CPI(M)) government's gender-neutral initiatives in schools, Randathani, a former MLA, said girls have great importance in Kerala society and they made great strides in this society ‘not by sitting together’ with boys. "Now they (Left government) claim that if the teenagers are made to sit together, it will bring reforms in the education sector. And they are teaching masturbation and homosexuality," the IUML leader said. He also alleged that the Left government was trying to promote communist views among the children.
"It is the communists who want to make such changes. They say that the society should take care of the children without considering the fact whether they were born before or after marriage. Likewise, they want to free women from what prevents her from having free sex with the man she loves. The government is attempting to impart communist views through the educational institutions," Randathani said. He said that the Constitution provides for equality and also protects the religious beliefs of every individual.
Randathani's statement came a day after state Education Minister V Sivankutty told the Kerala Assembly that the government has not taken any decision on introducing gender-neutral uniforms, mixed seating in schools or changing school timings, as suggested by an expert panel. IUML has been opposing the gender neutral initiatives of the Left government ever since a government-appointed panel recommended reforms in schools, including bringing change in the school timings, encouraging gender neutrality and mixed sittings.