Sunny Joseph meets Samastha's Jifri Thangal in Kozhikode
At a time when campaigning for the byelection to the Nilambur Assembly constituency is gaining momentum, newly appointed Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph visited Syed Mohammed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal, president of the influential Sunni scholars' forum, the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, here on Thursday.
The meeting happened at the office of the Samastha in the city. Mr. Joseph later told the media that it was part of his attempts to meet prominent community leaders and political veterans. 'The meeting was cordial, and we discussed political issues as well. His suggestions and advice will help the party,' he added. Mr. Joseph was accompanied by All India Congress Committee secretary Roji M. John, MLA, and K. Praveenkumar, Kozhikode District Congress Committee president.
The visit assumes significance against the backdrop of reports that the Samastha leadership is not happy with the support offered by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind-linked Welfare Party of India (WPI) to Aryadan Shoukath, the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate in the bypoll. The Thangal, however, claimed that the bypoll was not discussed during the meeting. He said that Mr. Joseph had sought suggestions to strengthen the Congress party. 'All the political parties, including the Congress, should go ahead with a secular perspective. That is what I told him,' the Thangal said.
Meanwhile, he declined to comment on the WPI's support to the UDF. 'We do not need to comment on that. The respective political fronts will try to get votes to win the elections. We do not politically support anyone. In Nilambur, the fight is between two strong political fronts. We are not the ones to give either a good certificate or a bad certificate to the Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind. Our differences with it are ideological, not political,' he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Corruption allegations arise in Edappally Canal desilting contract
Kochi: Opposition councillors have come up against Kochi corporation authorities, levelling corruption charges in the deal to remove hyacinth from Edappally Canal. Opposition leader Antony Kureethara said corporation authorities awarded the work to a contractor by inviting a short tender. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Kureethara alleged that there is widespread corruption in the awarding of contracts, especially those related to desilting works. "At first, a contractor undertook the work of removing hyacinth at a cost of Rs 17 lakh. Corporation scrapped the contract citing a delay in the work. Then, they entrusted the work to another contractor without inviting tenders. Cost of the work escalated to Rs 26 lakh from Rs 17 lakh. If the corporation invited tenders, the work could have been carried out at a lower rate," Kureethara said. As part of pre-monsoon desilting, work of removing silt from Edappally Canal was initially estimated at Rs 32 lakh. However, when tenders were invited, a contractor quoted Rs 15 lakh. The contractor's work was unsatisfactory, leading to their removal by collector's order under Disaster Management Act. "When a contractor is removed, the tender should be awarded to the next lowest bidder. The second lowest bid was recorded at Rs 17 lakh. Without awarding the work to the second lowest bidder, corporation invited a short tender of three days and work was awarded for Rs 26 lakh. Corporation authorities could have at least given more time for bidders to attend the tender," said corporation UDF parliamentary party secretary M G Aristotle. According to corporation authorities, the tender was awarded in a fast manner considering the onset of monsoon and urgency of work.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
UDF leaders object, vehicle check sparks controversy
Kochi: If a blue suitcase stole the spotlight during the Palakkad bypoll, a vehicle inspection in Nilambur has now sparked fresh controversy. UDF MP Shafi Parambil and MLA Rahul Mamkootathil were travelling together when officials waved down their vehicle for inspection on Friday. A video of the inspection, in which the UDF leaders can be seen arguing with the officials, visibly irked over the checking, was widely shared on social media. In the video, Rahul questions the random checking of MPs' vehicles, while Shafi can be heard saying that the problem was not about checking MPs' vehicles but of only checking UDF lawmakers' vehicles. Rahul was also seen raising his voice and arguing with an official, accusing him of being biased. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Shafi said the intention was to insult and not to inspect. Answering questions on whether it was right to threaten the officials, Shafi said if the intention was inspection alone, then they did not wish to say anything, but that was not the case. He said they cooperated since the officials have the right to conduct inspections. Shafi said when he got out of the car, he was asked to open the boot of the car and take out the suitcases. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo But the officials didn't check the boxes when he took them out. He added that they objected to this as the officials must check and certify that nothing was found in the suitcases. Shafi said they raised a question as to whether they are inspecting vehicles of other political parties. He said that to their knowledge, it has not happened, which is why they felt suspicious about the checking. In the backdrop of the development, Malappuram district collector V R Vinod issued a statement urging public to cooperate with inspections. He said that media reports related to the officers appointed as part of the implementation of the Nilambur bypoll code of conduct have come to his attention and that the people should cooperate with the inspections to ensure free, fair and transparent election processes. Vinod said these are mandatory measures as per the Election Act and the guidelines issued by the Indian Election Commission. Static surveillance teams are setting up temporary check posts and conducting vehicle inspections in key places in the constituency. These teams are working 24 hours a day. Each static surveillance team has a gazetted officer, two other officers, a videographer and a civil police officer, he added. Responsibilities given to employees of static surveillance teams include comprehensive inspection of vehicles. The entire inspection process is captured in the video. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Kerala chief minister seeks central legislation to end wildlife attack
Kozhikode: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday that legislation by the central govt was necessary to prevent wildlife attacks that threaten human life. He stated that it was the Congress-led central govt that introduced the amendment in 1972, providing protection to animals. The current central govt stands as the protector of that law. Therefore, both the Congress and the BJP, which governs the country today, share responsibility for wildlife attacks. Vijayan added that the central govt had not yet approved the package submitted by the state to prevent wildlife attacks. However, Kerala was doing everything possible in this matter and would continue to do so, he said. He was speaking at a rally organised by the LDF in Edakkara as part of the Nilambur byelection campaign. He mentioned that population control in the country applies only to humans, not to animals, and it was the 1972 law which is the reason for this. Under this law, animals have complete protection and they cannot be harmed. As it is a central law, states cannot amend it; they can only request Centre to do it. We continuously make this request, but each time, the central ministers respond with a refusal. This is disappointing. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Congress should be willing to raise a similar demand for amending the central law. Laws should change with the times. In other countries with forests and wildlife, hunting is permissible, and therefore, the number of animals there is decreasing, he said. He added that Kerala has prepared a special package that includes a comprehensive plan to prevent forest and wildlife attacks. These projects require significant financial resources, so central assistance is necessary, he said. The chief minister said the UDF's insulting remark calling the welfare pension a bribe reveals its attitude towards the poor. The LDF govt cleared 18 months' pension arrears and also increased the pension amount. The UDF criticizes the timely monthly pension payments to the poor as a bribe. Regardless of the UDF's allegations, the LDF govt would not back off from such welfare measures, he added. Kozhikode: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday that legislation by the central govt was necessary to prevent wildlife attacks that threaten human life. He stated that it was the Congress-led central govt that introduced the amendment in 1972, providing protection to animals. The current central govt stands as the protector of that law. Therefore, both the Congress and the BJP, which governs the country today, share responsibility for wildlife attacks. Vijayan added that the central govt had not yet approved the package submitted by the state to prevent wildlife attacks. However, Kerala was doing everything possible in this matter and would continue to do so, he said. He was speaking at a rally organised by the LDF in Edakkara as part of the Nilambur byelection campaign. He mentioned that population control in the country applies only to humans, not to animals, and it was the 1972 law which is the reason for this. Under this law, animals have complete protection and they cannot be harmed. As it is a central law, states cannot amend it; they can only request Centre to do it. We continuously make this request, but each time, the central ministers respond with a refusal. This is disappointing. Congress should be willing to raise a similar demand for amending the central law. Laws should change with the times. In other countries with forests and wildlife, hunting is permissible, and therefore, the number of animals there is decreasing, he said. He added that Kerala has prepared a special package that includes a comprehensive plan to prevent forest and wildlife attacks. These projects require significant financial resources, so central assistance is necessary, he said. The chief minister said the UDF's insulting remark calling the welfare pension a bribe reveals its attitude towards the poor. The LDF govt cleared 18 months' pension arrears and also increased the pension amount. The UDF criticizes the timely monthly pension payments to the poor as a bribe. Regardless of the UDF's allegations, the LDF govt would not back off from such welfare measures, he added. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
