Kerala CM, CPM leaders highlight Quran to defend KT Jaleel

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday chose the religious route to defend Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel who is caught in a controversy over accepting the Quran in bulk quantity from the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Chief Minister said that the BJP attacking a minister over the Quran was understandable, but asked why the Indian Union Muslim League, which is a key coalition partner of the Congress, was attacking Jaleel.

Close on the heels of Vijayan's remark, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Left Democratic Front convenor A Vijayaraghavan echoed the view.

Balakrishnan asked whether distributing the Quran was a crime. "Why are the Congress and the IUML joining protest held by the RSS and the BJP against Quran distribution?" he asked.

The IUML and the BJP accused the CPM of trying to defend the minster by triggering communal sentiments and also attempting communal polarisation.

Reacting to the remarks, IUML General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP P K Kunhalikutty said that the CPM was playing cheap politics. "No religious organisation would support the use of a religious book for politics," he said.

BJP State President K Surendran said that attempts were being made to frame Jaleel as a martyr of a religious issue and for communal polarisation.

Jaleel is facing allegations over accepting the Quran in bulk quantity from the UAE Consulate in Kerala, flouting foreign exchange regulation and diplomatic norms. He was also found to have contacts with Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the consulate and an accused in the gold smuggling case.

Ever since the Opposition parties have stepped up protests against him, Jaleel has been trying to trigger communal sentiment by stating that he was being attacked for accepting the Quran and if accepting the Quran was not allowed in the country, he would return it. He even specifically asked if IUML leaders would say that accepting the Quran was wrong.

The CPM is also firm on its stand that there was no need for Jaleel to quit. The party leaders maintained that Jaleel was summoned by the NIA only as a witness in the case. Moreover, Jaleel did not ask for the Quran or Ramadan relief kits from the consulate, but the consulate sought his help for distributing them as he was the minister in charge of minority welfare in Kerala.

Customs registers case over the Quran and dates

The Customs Department have registered a fresh case in connection with importing the Quran and dates.

Around 250 packets, said to be containing the Quran, were brought as diplomatic baggage by the UAE Consulate in March. Similarly, around 17,000 kilograms dates were found to be imported by the consulate over the last few years.

The department suspects that it involved duty evasion. It was also suspected that fake certificates of the Kerala government were used for duty exemption on the packets.

Dates were imported in bulk quantity citing distribution to various organisations in connection with some events. This also needs to be probed, said sources.