Pahalgam terror attack: Kerala BJP councillors move motion to rename street named after Jinnah

synopsis

UDF, LDF cadre clash with BJP councillors

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In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors in Kerala’s Palakkad district have sought the renaming of a street named after former Governor-General of Pakistan Muhammed Ali Jinnah. They have submitted an emergency motion notice stating that the stretch from Manjakulam Road near Valiyangadi to Vithunni should be renamed as "Chettur Sankaran Nair Road."

In addition to the objection against calling the road as Jinnah Street, the notice stressed that symbols of Pakistan have no place in Palakkad. “Muhammad Ali Jinnah is responsible for the never-ending pain inflicted on the country, including incidents like Pahalgam. The person who partitioned the country based on religion should not be honoured here,” the notice said. The matter will be discussed in the next council meeting.

Meanwhile, tensions erupted in the municipal council during protests against naming the city's Skill Development Centre after Rashtriya Swayamsevak (RSS) founder Dr KB Hedgewar. Members of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Left Democratic Front (LDF) staged protests, which escalated into a scuffle between the cadres and BJP leaders.

Members of the LDF and UDF got into an altercation after the municipal chairperson along with BJP councillors asserted that the Skill Development Centre would be renamed after the RSS founder. Following the unrest, heavy police security was deployed outside the municipal office.