Addressing a reception at Chelari, Mr. Surendran described Malappuram as a place of communal politics. He said Malappuram was under the clutches of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and other religious fundamentalists. The IUML would decide things in Malappuram even if the Left Democratic Front (LDF) ruled the State, he said. “CPI(M) State secretary A. Vijayaraghavan had to swallow his words within 48 hours after criticising Panakkad Thangal. What kind of politics is this?” he asked. M. Manoj presided over the function. BJP State secretary M.T. Ramesh, and V. Rajan spoke. BJP district president Ravi Thelath, State secretary Ranjit, and former district president K. Ramachandran were present.