P K Kunhalikutty MP, all India General Secretary of Muslim League, on Sunday questioned the claims by CPI(M) leaders that there were attempt to denigrate the Quran, considered sacrosanct by believers.

“We all know that undesirable acts have been done by Ministers and the party with active support of the Government. But the Chief Minister and other Ministers instead of discussing and clearing the doubts expressed by the Opposition parties are trying to divert the course of the allegations,” said Kunhalikutty while speaking to reporters at Kozhikode on Sunday.

Kunhalikkutty, who has been appointed by the party to lead Muslim League in the upcoming Assembly election said that the situation in the State was highly

unfortunate. “There is an attempt by the ruling party to create a smokescreen by spreading information that Quran was being discredited by those questioning the propriety of it being used as an alibi for gold smuggling. The question is why the protocol was violated in importing Quran while there are no laws which prohibit the same,” said Kunhalikutty, former minister of Industries in Kerala.

BJP leader K Surendran also questioned the allegation by the CPI(M) that Quran was being used by some political parties to whip up communal hatred. “It is the CPI(M) which wants a communal division in Kerala to fish in troubled waters. We are against the misuse of Quran for nefarious activities like gold smuggling,” said Surendran. Addressing a media meeting at the capital city, the BJP president said that his party would intensify the agitation against the Government in days to come. “We want the Pinarayi Vijayan Government to go, go at the earliest,” he said.

He also lambasted the Kerala Government for slashing the solatium announced to the victims of the August 6 Munnar landslide from Rs 5 lakh to Rs one lakh. “The Government that is pumping crores to organise the daily media briefing of the chief minister has showed that it was not bothered about the lives of poor tea estate workers,” alleged Surendran.