Former Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Surendran accused Malappuram district of having a hostile environment towards outsiders during Ramzan. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, April 8, Surendran said that Malappuram was unlike other districts and the mindset of its people resembled fascism. He said that anyone who visited Malappuram during Ramzan would not even get a drop of drinking water anywhere.
His statements come three days after Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) general secretary Vellappally Natesan said that Malappuram functioned like a separate country, and since a certain religion was dominant here, others found it difficult to live freely. Later, he faced severe backlash for his statement.
"When we avoid meat-based foods to visit Sabarimala, we never demand that shops only sell vegetarian food. But in Malappuram during Ramzan, we never get a single drop of water from anywhere. What kind of fascist approach is this?” he said, adding that it was based on his personal experience. He also said that some areas in Kozhikode faced a similar problem.
Surendran also said that some schools did not serve midday meals to students during Ramzan in Malappuram, though he did not mention the names of any such schools. He claimed that people were unaware of these happenings, as no one was ready to question the Muslim League's domination.
The BJP leader further targeted the district and accused certain people of campaigning against vaccination in the district and said that it was not being discussed by any progressive parties. Speaking about the death of a woman who died during home delivery, Surendran said, “We initially thought it was because of their lack of awareness. But some radical groups are propagating ideas such as avoiding hospitals for treatment and convincing people not to get vaccinated.”