Keralam CM demands apology from CPI(M) for “seeking to demonise” Muslim-majority Malappuram district

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Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheeshan. File | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Keralam Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan on Sunday (October 4, 2026) demanded an unconditional apology from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] for allegedly seeking to demonise the Muslim-majority Malappuram district as a “hive of fundamentalists and communalists”. 

In a post on X, Mr. Satheesan “strongly condemned the communal slurs made by the CPI(M) leader P. Nandakumar, denigrating the people of Malappuram as fundamentalists”. 

Mr. Satheesan said Mr. Nandakumar delivered the “unacceptable rhetoric” in the presence of former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan. He said Mr. Vijayan did not object or seek to correct Mr. Nandakumar’s remarks, signalling that the former MLA’s remarks had the CPI(M)’s “tacit endorsement”. 

Mr. Satheesan accused the CPI(M) in Keralam of borrowing a page from the Sangh Parivar playbook by playing dog-whistle politics aimed at appeasing the right-wing Hindu nationalist base by disparaging minority communities.

He said Mr. Vijayan, as Chief Minister, had made comparable “anti-Malappuram” statements and CPI(M)’s repeated attacks against Malappuram betrayed an anti-minority pivot. He demanded clarification from Mr. Vijayan and the CPI(M)’s Central leadership regarding the Malappuram controversy and sought to question the party’s credentials as a progressive and secular organisation. 

Mr. Satheesan also warned of strict action against those who promoted communalism. Mr. Nandakumar’s remarks during the welcome address at the CPI(M)’s extended district committee meeting in Ponnani, Malappuram had snowballed into a controversy, with the ruling front and opposition squaring off over the contentious comments on Saturday (October 3, 2026). 

CPI(M) State Secretary M. V. Govindan sought to distance the party from Mr. Nandakumar’s comments, saying the organisation was ideologically opposed to the pernicious influence of communal forces on political entities, including the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). CPI(M) leader and former MLA K. T. Jaleel sought to defuse the controversy, saying Malappuram was a haven for secular forces. 

Congress leader V. S. Joy, who represents the Thavanoor constituency in Malappuram district, wrote on Facebook that Malappuram was a bejewelled palace cobbled together by secular minds. 

Meanwhile, the Muslim Youth League has filed a police complaint against Mr. Nandakumar, accusing him of attempting to stoke communal divisions by seeking to slur minority communities. 

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