LS Poll: The #1 item on Malappuram’s wishlist is an amenity enhancement

According to the European story, it was a “fanatic zone” full with “untameable Moplas” who would attack at the least provocation. The Mappila Outrages Act and other black laws were believed by the colonialists to be the sole means of controlling the Mappilas. As a result, Malappuram acquired a very fictitious image in the minds of people. Creative expressions like as Kumaran Asan’s “Duravastha,” which drenched the Eranad landscape in blood, served to further bolster this idea.

Even today, there are still residues of the colonial ethos in certain places. According to historian Hussein Randathani, this is the reason why entrenched interests in north India often paint Malappuram in a negative light.

However, a trip to places like Vallikkunnu, Perinthalmanna, Tanur, and Kondotty will persuade anybody that Malappuram is simply another Keralan town, complete with its own share of pleasures and hardships.

The harsh landholding restrictions of Malabar were abolished by Tipu Sultan. The British restored the system after he was defeated, which sparked violent uprisings, according to Randathani.

He notes that the rise of the Khilafat movement, in which both Muslims and Hindus took part, gave the conflict a nationalist hue. “As part of the battle, we had individuals like M P Narayana Menon and Mozhikunnath Brahmadathan Namboodirippad who were imprisoned. Mappilas was greatly estranged from the party by the Congress’s alleged betrayal during the uprising.

Enraged by the Congress’s U-turn, the Muslim community now had a political orientation with the founding of the Muslim League. Even though the Congress and the Muslim League are now members of the UDF, there is still some hostility between the two organizations. Prominent figures such as Aryadan Muhammad and his offspring Aryadan Shoukath embody the growing wave of Congressmen holding divergent views on the Muslim League.

The Malappuram depot of the KSRTC
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has been represented in parliament by candidates from this pocket borough, Malappuram, for many years. The sole notable exception was K P A Majeed’s stunning loss as the IUML candidate in 2004, back when the seat was still known as Manjeri. Senior party leader B Pocker, Muhammad Ismail, Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait, and E Ahamed have all held the seat throughout the years. Political rivals would claim that politicians such as Sait were uninterested in returning to the area to meet with residents and discuss their concerns. However, party employees were certain that Sait and Ahamed should be involved in national politics in a different capacity.

However, the IUML is unable to deny responsibility for the inadequate infrastructure in the Malappuram constituency. The town’s KSRTC bus station is a powerful symbol of the depressing situation. In comparison to the Malappuram depot, a local bus waiting shed in another region of Kerala might have more amenities.

Many think that infrastructure development requires more focus. Abdul Kabeer, a Kavungal driver, claims that “IUML hasn’t undertaken any significant efforts for the development of the bus terminal, despite having five ministers in the UDF cabinet.”

Manjeri resident Radhakrishnan Kizhakathra attests that there are several issues that need to be resolved for the community’s benefit, including poor access to drinking water and transportation. “Manjeri’s state water authority does not provide water to many places. It is also difficult for many people to board KSRTC buses since they don’t stop at nearby private bus terminals, he adds.

The situation of the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) at Manjeri, which is inadequately equipped to provide for the needs of the Malappuram people, is the most worrisome, nevertheless. “The GMCH in Kozhikode is receiving referrals from a number of patients who are visiting this hospital. According to Radhakrishnan, neither the UDF nor the LDF have improved the hospital’s facilities or infrastructure.

Additionally, one of Kerala’s four international airports is located in the constituency. Despite being called the Kozhikode airport, it is really in Karipur, Malappuram.

“The Karipur airport is important, but the government hasn’t given it the attention it needs.” The airport has significant unrealized income potential. Furthermore, it seems like the government are not making much of an effort to improve the roads that lead to the airport, according to Muhammad Basheer, a Manjeri local who works at a Pulikkal school.

Another well-known feature of Malappuram is its football passion. During the FIFA World Cup, enormous cutouts of the best players emerge everywhere, sometimes prompting Muslim clerics to issue warnings against the unchecked football fever. But in vain. Every villager in this place is an expert in football, and they would all be happy to sit at a tea shop in the community and provide free advise to foreign teams.

In Malappuram, the Sevens football competitions are akin to a community celebration in which the whole village takes part. The moving tale of a foreign player who traveled to Malappuram to compete in a Sevens event is told in the film “Sudani from Nigeria,” which encapsulates both the passion of the game and the kindness of the locals.