Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) general secretary and Malappuram MP, PK Kunhalikutty, has come under heavy criticism after he failed to appear for voting in parliament on a revised bill that makes Triple Talaq, or instant divorce among Muslims, a punishable offence. According to reports, PK Kunhalikutty in a statement on Friday said that he could not attend the voting session in the parliament on Thursday as he was travelling in Abu Dhabi.
Kunhalikutty’s decision to skip the voting in order to attend the wedding of an industrialist has put his party also in a spot. Among the many who criticised the IUML General Secretary was KT Jaleel, Minister for Higher Education in Kerala. Jaleel said that “all the perfume from Arabia will not be able to cure the blemish on the IUML caused by Mr Kunhalikutty’s action.”
“He (Mr. Kunhalikutty) has caused a black chapter in the history of the IUML,” he said.
By stating that such a responsibility should not be given to people who are not interested in attending the parliament, especially when their presence was essential, Jaleel also added that, “the IUML should re-think its action of sending him to Parliament with broader and heavier responsibilities as a ‘centre forward’ of the party. The ‘centre forward’ has failed the party and the people miserably.”
He was also criticised by the Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS), which said that it was irresponsible on the part of the Malappuram MP to skip the session especially when his presence was a must. SYS leader Jamal Karulai, is reported to have said, “He had stayed away during the vice presidential voting as well in the name of missing the flight. We can’t believe that it was a mere coincidence. We suspect a mutual understanding between him and communal forces such as the BJP and RSS.”
IUML leader MK Muneer, meanwhile, tried to justify Kunhalikutty’s absence by saying that IUML was only a small party with two MP’s in the Lok Sabha and that the presence of Kunhalikutty would not have made any difference since they were given only a little time to speak on the issue.