Kerala's Grand Mufti Row: Is Congress Caught Between Women's Rights & Electoral Politics?
The controversy over Grand Mufti Aboobacker Musliyar's remarks on women has turned into a political battle in Kerala, with Chief Minister VD Satheesan facing BJP allegations of a "flip-flop" over his social media post. The episode has put the Congress and its ally IUML under scrutiny over how they respond to conservative voices within the Muslim community. Is this merely a row over a deleted post—or does it expose a deeper dilemma for the UDF between defending women's rights and electoral calculations? And what does the controversy reveal about the space for progressive voices within Kerala's Muslim community and political class?
