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.
Published – June 12, 2025 08:27 pm IST
