Religious leader hits out at Kerala Speaker for remarks on changing school timings

Kozhikode: Prominent Sunni leader Nasar Faizy Koodathai on Wednesday slammed Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer for his remarks, urging religious leaders to reconsider their stand on changing school timings.

Speaking at a programme in Kannur on Tuesday, Shamseer had underscored the need to adapt to changing times while mentioning school timings and wanted the religious leaders and scholars to reconsider their adamant stand in the matter.

Talking to a TV channel, Koodathai, a prominent leader of the Samastha Kerala Jam'eyyat ul-Ulama, raised suspicion about whether his (Shamseer) statements were deliberate and part of an agenda by the Left government to bring back the issue, which had already died down, to the limelight again.

Samastha Kerala Jam'eyyat ul-Ulama is an influential Muslim body of Sunni scholars which has the largest support base among Kerala Muslims.

Samastha had raised strong objections when the government extended the timing of the state-run schools in the state this academic year by 30 minutes as per a court decision.

Koodathai said they have not abandoned their agitation against the government decision in this regard. They do not want to go on a public stir as the Samastha supreme leadership is the final authority to take a decision.

He alleged that their agitations opposing the school timing change were deliberately given a communal colour and accused the government of having a role in this.

He said the Samastha withdrew from public agitation to avoid any communal division being created in society over this. "But the Speaker has opened the topic again. It was a move with ulterior motives," Koodathai alleged.

He suspected that the government's agenda was behind the Speaker's remarks.

The leader further said that they are against the stand taken by General Education Minister V Sivankutty in the school time change issue, but they opted not to continue their protest to avoid communal division in society.

Sivankutty reiterated recently that school timings cannot be changed to accommodate a particular community as the government has to consider the interests of lakhs of students.

The minister had also said that the decision to extend school timings by 30 minutes was taken based on the directions of the Kerala High Court, and therefore, anyone aggrieved by the same can seek legal remedies.