Fresh row over 1921 Malabar Rebellion’s history in Kerala

A reported move to exclude leaders and martyrs of the Malabar Rebellion of Kerala of 1921 from the Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle has triggered a row in Kerala with historians opposing the move, while BJP leaders terming the Malabar Rebellion leaders as the Taliban.

The debate came close on the heels of RSS leader Ram Madhav terming the Malabar Rebellion as the first manifestation of Talibanism in the country. The Malabar Rebellion often came under debate. Last year a Malayalam film production based on the Malabar Rebellion triggered allegations from BJP and other Sangh Parivar outfits that it was an attempt to glorify the ‘anti-Hindu’ leader of the movement, Variyamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji.

The fresh debate started following reports that a panel reviewing entries to the fifth edition of the Indian Council of Historical Research’s (ICHR) Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle recommended that the Malabar Rebellion could not be considered as freedom struggle as it was a rebellion against the landlords who are Hindus and no slogans against British rule was raised. There were 387 martyrs in the rebellion.

While, Congress and Indian Union Muslim League leaders in Kerala flayed the move alleging that it was an attempt to distort history as well as to implement divide and rule, BJP national vice president A P Abdullakutty commented that Variyamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji was the first Taliban leader of Kerala. He added that even the family of Communist leader and former Kerala Chief Minister E M S Namboodiripad had suffered due to the Malabar Rebellion.

Even while terming it as a politically motivated move, ICHR’s former chairman M G S Narayanan told a section of media that since there was no solid historical backing for either version of the Malabar Rebellion there was enough scope for debates on the matter.

Meanwhile, the BJP was stepping up attack against Kerala speaker M B Rajesh, who is a CPM leader, over his recent statement comparing the Malabar Rebellion leader to Bhagat Singh. His remark came at a function to commemorate the centenary of the Malabar Rebellion.

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