Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan Maintains Stance Against Kanthapuram's Remarks on Women

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan asserted on Wednesday that he has not changed his position regarding controversial comments made by Sunni leader and Grand Mufti of India, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar. Mr. Aboobacker had issued a circular advising that religious programs follow Islamic norms, which included preventing women from sharing public spaces or stages with unrelated men. Chief Minister Satheesan previously described these views as unsuitable for a modern, progressive Kerala and as ideas belonging to the 19th century.

The Chief Minister addressed claims that he had wavered after a video of his criticism disappeared from his Facebook page. He explained that the removal was due to a technical issue involving cross posting between Instagram and Facebook. He further denied reports that the post was removed following pressure from Sunni Muslim leaders who had met with him, stating that the meeting had been scheduled weeks in advance.

In response to criticism from the Kerala Muslim Jamaat and an editorial in Suprabhatham, the mouthpiece of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, Satheesan stated that he is not beyond criticism and that his critics do not become his enemies. The Suprabhatham editorial had compared his understanding to a blind man describing an elephant and pointed to his past opposition to young women entering Sabarimala to question his current stance on women's freedom.

During the same press conference, Satheesan addressed other matters. He stated he had forgiven expelled Congress leader Anil Kumar, who was arrested for allegedly blocking the Chief Minister's convoy. He also defended the number of personal staff appointed by his administration, claiming they appointed 476 staff members compared to 787 under the previous LDF government. Finally, he stated that comments he made regarding forensic analysis in an MDMA case were based on information provided by the Home department.