A procession in Kerala’s Palakkad district displaying images of Hamas leaders during an annual cultural fest drew sharp criticism on the social media.<\/p>\n
The banners, carried atop elephants by a group of youths, were part of the “Thrithala Fest” in Thrithala, Palakkad, on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n
\nOne year ago, when @BJP4Keralam<\/a> warned against a rally in Kerala where a Hamas leader virtually participated, the LDF govt took no action. Now, in Palakkad, at a Urus festival, terrorists who killed thousands were glorified\u2014pictures of Ismail Haniyeh & Yahya Sinwar were paraded\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/eBRfTJvMX9<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 K Surendran (@surendranbjp) February 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The display of the images led to heated discussions on the social media, with some alleging the event was linked to a religious festival and many questioning the organisers for allowing such banners.<\/p>\n
The participation of Minister MB Rajesh, who is also the MLA from Thrithala, and Congress leader and former MLA VT Balram has further fuelled the debate.<\/p>\n
However, a person, who is part of the organising committee and wishes to remain anonymous, accused a section of young people of attempting to trigger a communal issue over the procession, which is in no way connected to a religious festival.<\/p>\n
In a Facebook post, Congress leader Balram criticised a section of the media for allegedly using the controversy surrounding the Thrithala Fest to target the Muslim community and Kerala, even at the national level.<\/p>\n
He stated that all Indians who are not affiliated with the Sangh Parivar support the Palestinian people and their aspirations for independence.<\/p>\n
The Congress leader said that whether Hamas leaders should be glorified is a separate issue but condemned the Sangh Parivar for allegedly using the matter as part of an anti-Muslim hate campaign. “Thrithala will stand united against such divisive attempts,” he wrote.<\/p>\n
Clarifying the nature of the festival, he stated that ‘Thrithala Fest’ is an annual public celebration of the region, not a religious event linked to any mosque or place of worship.<\/p>\n
He noted that the festival’s organising committee includes representatives from various religious and political backgrounds. Leaders from various parties, officials, and tourists regularly participate in the event.<\/p>\n
He also mentioned that a festival supplement had included congratulatory messages from Minister M B Rajesh, MP Abdusamad Samadani, himself, the BJP constituency president, and others. This would serve as evidence that ‘Thrithala Fest’ is a national event rather than a religious gathering, he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday demanded that a case be registered against the event’s organisers.<\/p>\n
BJP state president K Surendran termed the incident “shocking” and accused both the ruling and opposition parties of appeasement politics.<\/p>\n
He also linked the episode to a past event where a Hamas leader allegedly addressed a gathering in Kerala.<\/p>\n
The police stated that the incident took place within the Thrithala police station limits. No case has been registered as no complaints have been received yet, they said.<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n
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