Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar
| Photo Credit: File Photo
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader V. Muraleedharan has attacked the United Democratic Front (UDF government over the controversial remarks by Samastha leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar on how women should not come into public life, questioning the alleged silence of several UDF Ministers about the cleric’s remarks.In a Facebook post, Mr. Muraleedharan accused UDF Ministers K.M. Shaji and N. Samsuddeen of supporting Mr. Aboobacker’s position by their avowed silence. He also accused Cultural Affairs Minister P.C. Vishnunadh of running away from the issue and refusing to take a clear position on the statement by Mr. Aboobacker.He was scathing in his sarcasm that none of the “new gen” Ministers of the UDF had the guts to declare that they will not support anyone who openly condemns women as second class citizensThe BJP leader’s comments come amid a widening political controversy over remarks made by Mr. Aboobacker just two days ago that bringing young women onto public roads and “displaying” them among strange men amidst “non-Islamic forms of celebrations” was not appropriate. He had added that according to the teachings of Quran, women should confine themselves to their homes and that their coming into the public sphere could result in serious consequences.The statement had triggered criticism from many political leaders, including the CPI (M) central committee members K.K. Shailaja and P.K. Sreemathy and the UDF’s Social Justice Minister Bindhu Krishna.Slams CongressMr. Muraleedharan questioned why the Congress leadership has not demanded that Mr. Aboobacker withdraw his remarks and apologise to women. He also challenged Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala to initiate legal action against the cleric over the alleged “anti-women” stance of the cleric.He also directed his criticism against the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] that the very same party which was in a hurry to give entry to women activists in Sabarimala and led the symbolic “women’s wall” to show their solidarity with women’s rights, did not have anything to say about Mr. Aboobacker’s statement.The differences in the political response within the UDF to the clerics’s remarks have also been stark. Indian Union Muslim League ministers N. Shamsuddeen and K.M. Shaji initially declined to comment when asked about Mr. Aboobacker’s remarks, with Mr. Shamsuddeen reportedly stating that he had no wish to respond to a scholar like Mr. Aboobacker.With the controversy developing into a broader political debate over the limits of religious authority and women’s participation in public life, Mr. Muraleedharan also questioned whether the Congress leadership, which he said has assumed lofty positions on women’s rights earlier, had the courage to reject Mr. Aboobacker’s statement outright Published - August 31, 2026 07:53 pm IST
