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‘India-occupied Kashmir’ remark by former Kerala min Jaleel triggers row
He made the controversial remarks in a Facebook post while talking about his recent visit to Kashmir.
Former Kerala minister and CPI(M) legislator KT Jaleel on Friday courted a controversy by describing Jammu and Kashmir as “Indian adheena Jammu and Kashmir (India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir)”.
He made the controversial remarks in a Facebook post while talking about his recent visit to Kashmir. In the post written in Malayalam, he said: “The part of Kashmir annexed to Pakistan was known as ‘Azad Kashmir’ and it was an area where the Pakistan government does not have any control.”
Jaleel, who was a minister in the previous CPI(M)-led LDF government, said: “Indian adheena Jammu and Kashmir (India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir) consists of parts of Jammu, Kashmir valley and Ladakh.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised his remarks and sought action against him. BJP leader Sandeep Warrier said his remarks were “serious and his venomous thinking was got exposed”.
BJP national spokesman Shehzad Poonwalla said: “Jaleel bats for Pakistan and peddles its lie. Jaleel has a dubious track record, but he is Pinarayi Vijayan’s favourite,” he tweeted.
CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said he was not aware of his post and he will respond only after reading it.
In the post, Jaleel also wrote: “People of Kashmir forgot to laugh because army soldiers were everywhere.”
“It seems Kashmiris have become a people who have forgotten to laugh. Army trucks and military presence seems to be part of daily life of Kashmiris. There is kind of indifference lurking in every part of Kashmir,” he wrote. He also criticised the bifurcation of J&K and repeal of the Article 370 that gave special powers to it.
After his post whipped up a controversy, he edited his post by replacing “Azad Kashmir” as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.” But, he did not give any explanation.
A controversial leader, who was also a former member of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Jaleel was questioned several times by the customs and enforcement directorate after the gold smuggling through the UAE consulate in the state capital surfaced in 2020.
He was questioned in connection with reported import of religious books and dry fruits from the UAE. He was forced to resign from the Pinarayi cabinet in 2019 after Lokayukta passed strictures against him for appointing one of his relatives in a key post flouting all norms.
After the main accused in the gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh recorded her statement before a magistrate in Kochi in June, Jaleel lodged a complaint alleging she conspired with others and gave a wrong statement to incite a riot and weaken the government in power.
She was later booked under sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 153 (provocation with the intent to cause riot) of the IPC. Later, the state government constituted a special investigation team under additional director general of police Vijay Sakhre.
