THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : At a fiery session in the Assembly Tuesday noon, MLA M Suraj blasted the saffron party saying, BJP together with RSS is ruining the secular characteristic of India's constitution. Sangh Parivar interpretations of the Citizenship law are blatant lies, he said.
India can see through how, Sangh Pawar politics cannot prop itself up, but for the platform of false propaganda. NRC should be viewed in conjunction with NPR for an accurate picture on their underlying strategy. Hailing a volley of questions Suraj asked, “How come the family of Fakuruddin Ali Mohammed who was elected as first citizen at the time, become non-Indians now, after living on the country’s soil for decades ? How is Mohammed Sanawallah Khan, honoured with Presidential Medal for guarding our borders during Kargil war, not a Indian citizen ? How has Mohammed Asmal Haque, who rendered distinguished service to Indian Army, ceased to be and Indian ?". You(BJP) owe an answer to all this., Suraj said.
The fact that honourable O Rajagopal aged 90, is at loss to suggest anything compassionate, speaks for itself. It points to the dirty and violent turn their politics has taken. They are asking documents from people who have always been here. They are asking citizenship records from those who have spent their life here for decades. How many heroic martyrs from varied religions does Kerala have ? How many missions has Kerala seen ?
As you attempt to chase and phase out Muslims, have you cared to look into the history of the great Malabar Mapillas ? Their rebellion to break free of colonial rule ? Have you heard of Saud Fasal Pukoi who was banished by the British in 1952 ? Do you know of a village named Mumburam ? There is a small village near Vazhakkad that goes by the name Konara. Konara Makham still stands in reminiscence of the mosque which was pulled down by British canons.
At that time, Konara was the epicenter of freedom movement in the region. One can still see bullets lodged on Konnara Makham exteriors. It was from there that Syed Mohammed Koya was forcibly taken into custody to be hanged later in Coimbatore.
Ever heard the name Kunjahmed Haji? That hero had set up his own kingdom daring British intrusion into his territory. He had named his Republic, the Malayalam Raj.
The British later overwhelmed him with brutal force. Amid torture that included pulling out his moustache hair by hair, they made an offer. If Kunjahmed were to give a written apology of his fight against the British, he would be free to live the life he wished in Mecca. All arrangements and comforts would be taken care of there, the British official told him.
Despite his near death condition, Varimkunnath Kunjahmed Haji put up a faint smile and said, “I like Mecca. But I wasn’t born there. I belong to this land of Ernad, where lies the legacy of heroic rebellions. On its soil I shall fall dead. Into its dust I shall return.”
Eventually, the British sentenced him to death, to which Kunjahmed responded “I have been presented with the opportunity to die for my birthplace.” His executors shot him from front - a wish Kunjahmed had asked of them. At that time, it was the norm to blindfold those convicted and shoot them from behind in execution style. However when asked of his last wish, Kunjahmed said “Don’t cover my eyes. Shoot me from front.” Such were the heroes born to this land, Suraj said.
In 1935, Adolf Hitler established detention camps and murdered lakhs of Jews. In the tenth year of his reign, Hitler was forced to kill himself. This is why those concentration camps, where lakhs of Jews met their brutal end, was turned into a museum. Written across its threshold are words “History Will Punish Those Who Forget History”. Time now calls out to Modi reminding this message -History, without variance, punishes those who forget it.
Refugees are not accepted for their religion. They are allowed on humanitarian grounds. The new law shames India on the world stage. It isolates India. Aimed at phasing out Muslims from India, the situation would not limit itself to that community alone. This is the beginning. It marks the onset of a governmental strategy that will eventually target other minorities, dalits and rebels.
This is not a Muslim malady. It is a problem faced by the country as a whole – a malady affecting secularism, democracy and the constitution itself. We should be willing to view it for what it truly is. Let us remember that Golwalkar is a Hindu Mouthuthi just as Mouthuthi was a Muslim Golwalkar. Both were inimical to secularism, humanitarianism and the constitution.
All secular minded people should join hands to uphold humaneness and defend against this radical law. We are protesting against the forces that seek to destroy this country, against the anti-national government. The flag of this protest is our national flag. We should be able to move united. We should be able to protect India, urged M Swaraj, concluding his stormy address.
