'Look at the names’: Kerala Minister's remarks on Malappuram, Kasaragod results trigger controversy
Alappuzha (Kerala): Kerala Minister Saji Cherian has sparked a political controversy with remarks suggesting that electoral outcomes in Malappuram and Kasaragod reflect growing communal polarisation in the state. His comments, made while criticising the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan, have drawn sharp reactions from the Opposition.
Cherian accused the UDF of fuelling communal tensions for political gain and alleged that the party was willing to align with both minority and majority communal forces. He reiterated that the CPI(M) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had consistently opposed communalism and claimed that Kerala had not witnessed communal riots in the past decade under the LDF government. In contrast, he referred to incidents such as the Marad riots of 2002–03 and clashes in Alappuzha and Vizhinjam, which occurred during earlier UDF regimes.
Addressing questions on communal polarisation, the minister said indications were already visible in northern Kerala’s electoral patterns. “Look at the names of those who won in Malappuram and Kasaragod,” he remarked, cautioning against underestimating the trend.
Cherian also accused Satheesan of attempting to disturb communal harmony through statements made during the Kerala Yathra led by Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar. He alleged that these remarks were aimed at creating religious and caste-based divisions to consolidate minority votes, adding that the Opposition leader was aware of the dangers posed by both minority and majority communalism.
Responding to Satheesan’s criticism over Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allowing SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan to travel in his official vehicle, Cherian dismissed the allegation, stating that there was nothing improper in the gesture. He said community organisations such as the NSS and SNDP function autonomously and that cooperation with them did not amount to political “social engineering”.
Emphasising Kerala’s tradition of coexistence, Cherian said Hindus, Muslims and Christians in the state lived together harmoniously and warned against divisive politics that could push Kerala towards the kind of polarised electoral environment seen in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He maintained that the state government remained committed to protecting all faiths and ensuring the freedom to practise religious traditions peacefully.
Later, amid criticism, Cherian issued a clarification, stating that his remarks had been distorted and misinterpreted. He said he did not intend to single out any community but meant that Kerala should not move towards a situation where Muslim-majority areas are politically dominated by the Indian Union Muslim League and Hindu-majority regions by the BJP. He made the clarification while speaking to the media on Monday morning.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
