On Saturday, a Muslim League leader named Vembaya Nazeer criticized a Congress party leader for disrespecting the Indian Union Muslim League’s (IUML) flag at a United Democratic Front (UDF) program in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Nazeer was prevented from hoisting the flag by the Congress leader and was asked to hoist the flag in Pakistan.
According to the reports, the incident is said to have happened at a protest event in Attipara in the state capital. The program was interrupted by the Congress block president named Sanalkumar who allegedly asked the Muslim league leaders to remove the party flag and asked them to go to Pakistan to hoist the flag.
The event was a United Democratic Front (UDF) program and flags of other alliance partners including that of the Revolutionary Socialist Party were also put up at the event. It is notable that Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, Revolutionary Socialist Party etc are constituents of the United Democratic Front in Kerala, which is currently in opposition. When League district committee member Vembayam Nazeer went on to put up the IUML flag, Sanalkumar blocked him and threw the flag. He also shouted at the Muslim league leader and asked him to go to Pakistan and hoist the flag there.
“It was a UDF event and the RSP flag was also displayed. When I placed the IUML flag, he threw it away and shouted at me. He asked me to take it to Malappuram. When I reminded him that the program was organized by UDF, he said Muslim League’s flag was not allowed”, Nazeer was quoted.
The argument reportedly escalated when Nazeer revolted against the Congress leader’s actions and said that League was the second biggest party in UDF. To this, Sanalkumar responded saying that Nazeer could take the flag to Pakistan. “I felt really bad. Not even BJP workers from the area will say something like that. Is this the culture of Congress”, Nazeer added.
However, commenting on the issue, Congress leader Sanalkumar denied having made any such statement. “It is true that I asked him to remove the flag. It was a Congress program. If they bring their flag, others too may follow. But I did not throw it away or make any such comments”, he said.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) is the Indian National Congress-led alliance of several political parties in the Indian state of Kerala.