The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) suffered a major embarrassment when the State chief of the party women’s wing showered “undue” praise on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday.
Vanitha League State president Qamarunnisa Anwar, who is also chairperson of the State Social Welfare Board, stirred a hornets’ nest when she complimented the BJP for its nation-wide growth.
“The BJP is a party that is growing in Kerala and in other States…. I’m sure the party is doing good things for the country,” Ms. Anwar told a local news channel after chipping in with her contribution to the party’s working fund at her house at Tirur on Thursday.
BJP Tirur constituency president K.P. Pradeep Kumar, who received the fund from Ms. Anwar, said her contribution had brought in vigour to the party activities.
Ms. Anwar as well as the party leadership, particularly its State president Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, faced a barrage of criticism in the social media on Friday, forcing the leadership to seek an explanation from her.
Ms. Anwar tendered an apology to the party, saying that it was “a slip of the tongue”. In her letter to the party president, Ms. Anwar said she had given her contribution to the BJP team like to many others who approached her for donations.
IUML State general secretary K.P.A. Majeed said the issue ended with Mr. Thangal accepting Ms. Anwar’s apology.
