VD Satheesan Denies Deleting Post Slamming Cleric's Views On Women Amid Row

The Keralam Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has denied reports that a Facebook post carrying Chief Minister VD Satheeshan's criticism of Grand Mufti Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar was deleted following a meeting with Islamic scholars.

In a clarification to NDTV, the CMO said the claim that the reel was removed following the meeting is "untrue and incorrect".

The CMO said the Facebook reel was an extension of the content posted on Instagram and had encountered a technical error on Facebook.

It also pointed out that the Chief Minister Satheesan's entire statement from the press conference is already available on his Facebook page. The CMO said there is, therefore, no question of the Chief Minister withdrawing or changing his position.

The clarification came amid a political row over Satheesan's remarks against Kanthapuram's statements on women.

Following the chief minister's criticism after the Cabinet meeting, a delegation of Islamic scholars representing Kanthapuram met Satheesan and conveyed their reservations over his remarks.

The controversy intensified after the BJP Kerala's social media handle claimed that the chief minister had deleted the Facebook post under pressure.

The BJP also put out a poster depicting the Chief Minister kneeling before Kanthapuram, with a caption suggesting that he had deleted the post to "save his own post" as chief minister.

Posted by Keralam BJP

The campaign triggered claims that Satheesan had taken a U-turn following the meeting with the scholars.

The CMO has now rejected these claims, maintaining that the issue with the Facebook reel was purely technical and had no connection with the meeting.

The Chief Minister's Office also stressed that the full press conference, including his remarks criticising Kanthapuram's statement, continues to remain available on Facebook.

What Kanthapuram Said

Speaking at a Hubbul Rasool conference in Kochi on Sunday, Kanthapuram said bringing women into the public sphere would lead to "great destruction" and that Islam prescribed purdah to prevent it.

To make the argument, he used the example of a gold necklace in an Ernakulam jewellery shop, brought out from a cupboard, then a box, then its wrapping, and contrasted it with stone grinders in the shop next door that sit on the roadside while people step over them. If a necklace were left on the road, he said, everyone passing would touch it until its beauty was destroyed.

Citing a Quranic verse, he said: "Women should remain confined within their homes. They should not enter the public sphere. The Holy Quran says so."

He said Samastha scholars had taught this for 100 years and that it had helped women preserve their dignity, arguing that the restriction was a form of respect. He also pushed back at critics questioning his standing to speak. "We have studied the religion. Therefore, it is our duty to say this. We will say it, and we will continue to say it. Nobody can stop it."

Chief Minister Slammed The Cleric

Chief Minister VD Satheesan had on Wednesday slammed the Grand Mufti's position that women should remain inside their homes, saying neither his government nor his party would stand by it.

"No, we do not agree at all with his statement that if women enter the public sphere it will cause great ruin, and that the Quran says women should remain submissive and stay inside their homes. We cannot agree with that stance in any manner. Not in any way," the Chief Minister said.

He had called the position an anachronism. "Something that used to be said back in the 19th century is being stated in the 21st century. Women are not meant to live submissively inside homes. Our stance is a progressive one, that women should participate in all aspects of mainstream life. Make no mistake about it."

Satheesan went further, arguing that the cleric's reading was a misinterpretation of Islam rather than a statement of it.