Congress To Organise Pro-Palestine Rally In Kerala On November 23

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President K Sudhakaran announced on Thursday that the Congress will organise a massive rally in Kerala's Kozhikode on November 23 to declare solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Mr Sudhakaran said that All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal will inaugurate the solidarity rally.

"All the people who believe in secular-democratic values will be brought together on the 23rd of this month at 4:30 pm at Kozhikode Beach. It will mobilise a large crowd and turn it into a historic event of Palestinian solidarity," Mr Sudhakaran said.

He further asserted that the Congress party cannot support any action that would undermine the rights of Palestinians to live in their homeland.

"Innocent Palestinians are being persecuted by Israel, occupying power in their land. The Congress cannot support any action that would undermine the right of the Palestinian people to live in their homeland. When the Congress governments, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh ruled the country, there was a tradition of supporting the Palestinian people's struggle to live with dignity, peace and respect. This is the same position that the Congress always upholds," he added.

The stance, policy and approach of the Modi government that sides one is a disgrace to the secular democratic values that the great nation of India has been embracing until now, Mr Sudhakaran said.

Further criticising the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led government in Kerala, Mr Sudhakaran said that the Palestine Solidarity Rally organised by the Congress will be a platform to expose the hypocrisy of the CPM, which is abusing the plight of the Palestinian people for political and electoral gain in Kerala

Meanwhile, the ruling party, CPIM, will organise a pro-Palestine rally in Kozhikode on November 11.

CPIM has also invited the Muslim League to participate in the rally, which sparked controversy in the UDF alliance. Though senior IUML leader ET Muhammad Basheer MP expressed his willingness to attend the rally, later the IUML held a meeting and officially declared that they would not participate in the rally.

Earlier in October this year, the IUML Party held a pro-Palestine rally in Kozhikode, which was presided over by IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor as Chief Guest. IUML state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal inaugurated the rally. IUML also held a solidarity rally in Thiruvananthapuram in October.

However, India on Thursday called for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages while also urging to de-escalate the situation to resume direct peace negotiations towards a two-state solution. 

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India has also shared its concern over the rising death count of civilians during conflict.

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