Members of the Kerala State Muslim Youth League have invited outrage by raising provocative slogans during a rally at Kanhangad in Kasaragod district on Tuesday, July 25. The rally was part of the statewide protests held by the party — the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) — against the ongoing ethnic violence and political unrest that broke out in Manipur nearly three months ago, killing and wounding hundreds of people and displacing thousands.
Muslim Youth League general secretary PK Firos condemned the controversial slogans in an official statement on Wednesday, calling it an “unpardonable mistake” to have raised slogans that had the potential to incite hate. He said the slogans were not approved by the Muslim Youth League and that they were in deviation from the party’s ideology. A member by the name of Abdul Salam, who allegedly raised the slogans, has been suspended from the party. In a video clip from the rally that is now going viral, the protesters can be heard shouting in Malayalam that they “will hang [someone] at the temple altar and burn them.”
The Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) referred to the incident as a “worrying indicator of the Congress and its allies targeting Hindu society.” Stating that the party strongly condemned the “shocking footage” from the Kanhangad protest, the BJP’s statement alleged that the chants “aimed at Hindus are utterly reprehensible and cannot be justified.” The party also called upon senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to be held accountable for the actions of the party he calls “secular”.
We strongly condemn the shocking footage from the Kanhangad protest. The chants of "We will hang you in temples" and "We will burn you alive" by the Muslim League, aimed at Hindus, are utterly reprehensible and cannot be justified. @RahulGandhi must be held accountable for the… pic.twitter.com/KIZPakreyo
— BJP KERALAM (@BJP4Keralam) July 26, 2023