Published Oct 04, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 04, 2026 | 7:00 AM
The CPI(M) leader's latest comments are likely to revive the debate over the party's political assessment of Malappuram.
Synopsis: Nandakumar made the alleged hate speech at the CPI(M)’s extended district committee meeting in Ponnani, attended by Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan and others.
CPI(M)’s former MLA P Nandakumar stirred a controversy on Saturday, 3 October, describing the Malappuram district as a “den of religious fundamentalists and communalists”.
Nandakumar made the alleged hate speech at the CPI(M)’s extended district committee meeting in Ponnani, attended by Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan and others.
“We know that there are unique circumstances regarding Malappuram district. Malappuram district is a den of religious fundamentalists and communalists,” he said in his welcome speech.
He added that the party meeting would examine how the Communist Party should unite secular forces, build a broad-based popular movement and address organisational weaknesses in the district.
Also Read: Never-ending struggle of Malappuram to prove its people are not anti-nationals
Nandakumar was the MLA from Ponnani, Malappuram, from May 2021 to May 2026.
The remark comes against the backdrop of a controversy involving Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in 2024 over reported comments about Malappuram and smuggling through the Calicut International Airport at Karipur.
Vijayan subsequently denied making the remarks, while the newspaper said a PR agency had supplied the statement and it was wrongly attributed to him.
Nandakumar’s latest comments are likely to revive the debate over the CPI(M)’s political assessment of Malappuram and its approach to issues of communalism and religious polarisation in the district.
Earlier, SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan had triggered a similar controversy with his adverse remark about Malappuram.
Addressing a convention organised by the SNDP’s Nilambur unit on 5 April 2025, Natesan said the Malappuram district functioned like a separate nation, dominated by certain sections of the population, making it difficult for others to live freely or express their opinions.
The Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam — or SNDP — represents the numerically strong Ezhava community in Keralam.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
