08-17-2003, 09:06 PM
Muslim namesâ for villages: CM in trouble
Author: Kalathil Ramakrishnan
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 14, 2003
URL: [url="http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=29519"]http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_...ontent_id=29519[/url]
Kerala never runs out of issues and causes which trigger communal tension. The latest in Kasargod district is over names â whether villages should be known by their older versions or by the communally ââre- chargedââ new versions.
The government has now accorded official sanction to the change in name of Kettumkallu, a place in Muliyar grama panchayat, to Allama Mohammed Iqbal Nagar amid protests from a section. Local Administration Secretary P. Kamalkutty had approved the change of name through a government order.
The village of Kettumkallu is near the Cherkala grama panchayat, the native place of Local Administration Minister Cherkalam Abdulla. According to Opposition leaders in the panchayat, Abdulla has a vested interest in changing the name of Kettumkallu to Allama Mohammed Iqbal Nagar. The minister, they allege, is trying to create a ââMuslim consolidation in the ensuing district panchayat election.ââ
The adjacent area in Cherkala panchayat is already known as Iqbal Nagar and the place, together with Kettumkallu in Muliyar panchayat, forms a ââdivisionââ of the district panchayat. The entire division now would be known as Iqbal Nagar.
According to CPM leaders of Muliyar gram panchayat, the Muslim League is playing a communal game by instigating the change in name so that voters can be influenced in the next election.
However, this idea to ââcarve outââ a seat for the Muslim League is threatening to snowball into a major row with the CPM-led Opposition and the BJP coming together to defeat the move through a no-confidence motion at the panchayat governing body slated for August 13.
ââWe will start an agitation against the change of name of Kettumkallu,ââ says BJP mandal committee president Ithappa Shetty.
But, local Muslim League leaders deny the allegation that the name of Iqbal Nagar had any communal undertones. ââHow can the name of poet Allama Mohammed Iqbal be associated with communalism,ââ asked IUML secretary in Muliyar.
It is the second major controversy in the district after the row over the change in name of a place in Meenja panchayat but that was solved amicably a few years ago. The Kaliyur ward in the panchayat was called Korathipalige by a section of the people and as Shafi Nagar by another group. However, the issue was laid to rest with the intervention of the district authorities who fixed the name as Gandhi Nagar.
But, several nagars are springing up in the district unofficially. The extremist elements on both sides of the communal divide are announcing the changes by planting the name boards.
Though none of these changes has got official approval, the gram panchayats concerned are shying away from taking action against the extremist elements who are trying to turn their strongholds into their exclusive domain.
Author: Kalathil Ramakrishnan
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 14, 2003
URL: [url="http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=29519"]http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_...ontent_id=29519[/url]
Kerala never runs out of issues and causes which trigger communal tension. The latest in Kasargod district is over names â whether villages should be known by their older versions or by the communally ââre- chargedââ new versions.
The government has now accorded official sanction to the change in name of Kettumkallu, a place in Muliyar grama panchayat, to Allama Mohammed Iqbal Nagar amid protests from a section. Local Administration Secretary P. Kamalkutty had approved the change of name through a government order.
The village of Kettumkallu is near the Cherkala grama panchayat, the native place of Local Administration Minister Cherkalam Abdulla. According to Opposition leaders in the panchayat, Abdulla has a vested interest in changing the name of Kettumkallu to Allama Mohammed Iqbal Nagar. The minister, they allege, is trying to create a ââMuslim consolidation in the ensuing district panchayat election.ââ
The adjacent area in Cherkala panchayat is already known as Iqbal Nagar and the place, together with Kettumkallu in Muliyar panchayat, forms a ââdivisionââ of the district panchayat. The entire division now would be known as Iqbal Nagar.
According to CPM leaders of Muliyar gram panchayat, the Muslim League is playing a communal game by instigating the change in name so that voters can be influenced in the next election.
However, this idea to ââcarve outââ a seat for the Muslim League is threatening to snowball into a major row with the CPM-led Opposition and the BJP coming together to defeat the move through a no-confidence motion at the panchayat governing body slated for August 13.
ââWe will start an agitation against the change of name of Kettumkallu,ââ says BJP mandal committee president Ithappa Shetty.
But, local Muslim League leaders deny the allegation that the name of Iqbal Nagar had any communal undertones. ââHow can the name of poet Allama Mohammed Iqbal be associated with communalism,ââ asked IUML secretary in Muliyar.
It is the second major controversy in the district after the row over the change in name of a place in Meenja panchayat but that was solved amicably a few years ago. The Kaliyur ward in the panchayat was called Korathipalige by a section of the people and as Shafi Nagar by another group. However, the issue was laid to rest with the intervention of the district authorities who fixed the name as Gandhi Nagar.
But, several nagars are springing up in the district unofficially. The extremist elements on both sides of the communal divide are announcing the changes by planting the name boards.
Though none of these changes has got official approval, the gram panchayats concerned are shying away from taking action against the extremist elements who are trying to turn their strongholds into their exclusive domain.