THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF leadership is worried that the anti-Hamas remarks made by MP Shashi Tharoor at the Palestine Solidarity Maha Rally organized by the Muslim League in Kozhikode in connection with the Hamas-Israel conflict will backfire in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

While denying Israel's brutal counter-attack, Tharoor's claim that Hamas carried out terrorist attacks on civilians in Israel was humbled. There is concern that this will backfire in the elections in Thiruvananthapuram, where Tharoor will contest again, and in Malabar, including the League's power centers. The Congress and League leaders are trying to cool down the anger of the community in this regard.

Although the AICC leadership and Congress leaders in Kerala have come forward to reiterate that they are always with the Palestinian people, the opposition of Muslim organizations in Tharoor's remarks has not been contained.

The decision to exclude Tharoor from the solidarity program was interpreted as an indication of this. Samasta and some other Muslim organizations had come out against Tharoor.

At the same venue, League leaders MK Munir and Abdu Samad Samadani corrected that Hamas's was a struggle of resistance. Muslim League National General Secretary P K Kunjalikutty who took the initiative to invite Tharoor to participate in the rally, said that as Tharoor stated that he was with the Palestinian people, his sentiments should not be distorted. The justification given by Kunjalikutty also did not satisfy the party ranks. There is concern that this will backfire in the parliamentary elections in Thiruvananthapuram, where Tharoor is set to contest again, and in Malabar, the League's powerhouses.

At the same time, the CPM and LDF are trying to tread very cautiously on the issue. CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader Binoy Viswam MP came forward to condemn Israel's counter-attack and support Palestine. CPM central committee member KK Shailaja's Facebook post, which condemned Israel's attack but denied Hamas's attack, created quite a stir. However, she stood firm on it. The CPM leadership, on the other hand was not ready to accept it.