IUML leader Thangal says Ram temple, mosque at Ayodhya will strengthen secularism
Malappuram, Feb 4: Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state President Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal on Sunday landed in a controversy over his recent statement that 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.
IUML is a major ally of the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala and an influential political party among the Muslim community.
Thangal made the statement during an event on January 24 at Manjeri near here, but a video of it went viral today.
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 in a mature manner.
Indian National League (INL) Kerala State Secretariat Member N K 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.
Kunhalikutty said BJP is trying to politicise the Ayodhya issue and Thangal was trying to warn people not to fall into that trap. "But it was misinterpreted," he said.
Satheesan said while many were trying to ignite tensions needlessly, Thangal was trying to douse it.
"One should understand why he said so. When some are trying to set fire to water, Thangal is trying to douse it. He was speaking against the campaign of hatred and division," Satheesan said.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
