IUML lashes out at Kerala govt's 'recovery' of party leader's land instead of PFI worker

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 22 (IANS) The Kerala state revenue department, which is on a spree of making recoveries from the activists of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) following the Kerala High Court order, landed in the soup after the proceedings were initiated against a Muslim League leader.

The Muslim League leader and Panchayat member of Edarikkode, Malappuram district C.T. Ashraf complained that he was not involved in any activities with the Popular Front and that the recovery notice was pasted on his house to attach his house and 16-cent property as part of mistaken identity.

C.T. Ashraf while speaking to IANS said, "The revenue officials know me well, but they had a mistaken identity on the property of another C.T. Ashraf, who is a PFI worker, and pasted a notice attaching my home and 16 cents of land."

He said that the accused PFI worker C.T. Ashraf is the son of Bheeran while he is C.T. Ashraf and the son of Mohammed. He said that he would be lodging a complaint against the revenue officials for the mental agony he and his family have passed through.

Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) lashed out against the revenue department in particular and the state government in general over the mistaken identity and pasting notice on the residence of their party leader.

Muslim League state general secretary, P.M.A. Salam while speaking to the media persons in Malappuram said, "The Kerala revenue department officials have pasted the notice of revenue recovery on the residence of our leader. This is deliberate and we will take this issue up in the Kerala Assembly."

The Muslim League national general secretary and former Kerala industries minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty also said that this was a grave and deliberate move on the part of the state government to equate Muslim League workers with the fundamentalist outfit, Popular Front of India which is now banned.

The division bench of the Kerala high court had directed the state government to recover the property of the Popular Front of India leaders and workers who were charge sheeted in the destruction of public property during a hartal announced by the outfit on September 23, 2022.

The state government had estimated losses to the tune of Rs 5.10 crore during the hartal day and the Kerala High Court came down heavily against the state home department in not recovering the losses from the PFI workers and leaders.