Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Able parliamentarian: VS

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan described as unforgettable the role played by Indian Union Muslim League all-India president G.M. Banatwala to protect the interests of the minorities. He would always be remembered as an able parliamentarian, he added.

Speaker K. Radhakrishnan has also condoled Banatwala’s demise.

IUML State president Panakkad Syed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal, who was to leave for Mumbai along with party State general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty to attend the funeral on Thursday morning, said that Mr. Banatwala was an intrepid leader who fought tirelessly for the rights of the marginalised.

The Thangal said that Banatwala had always stood for the minorities and the backward communities. “The struggles he made inside and outside Parliament to protect Islamic Sharia have been legendary and historic,” said the Thangal.

Mr. Kunhalikutty described Mr. Banatwala’s death as a great loss at a time when the party and minorities needed him most. “His death, which has inflicted a blow to the party, cannot be compensated,” said Mr. Kunhalikutty.

Banatwallah, according to Mr. Kunhalikutty, was the owner of a unique personality. He upheld the cause of the minorities for about three decades in Parliament.K.V. Thomas, former Minister and MP who left for Mumbai along with IUML leaders on Wednesday evening to represent the Congress at the funeral, said Mr. Banatwala was a great Parliamentarian with unassailable secular credentials, he added.

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala and United Democratic Front convener P.P. Thankachan have mourned the death of the Indian Union Muslim League all-India president G.M. Banatwala.

In separate statements here on Wednesday, Mr. Chandy recalled Mr. Banatwala’s contribution to the State as an MP and his strong positions in favour of backward classes and minorities. Mr. Chennithala stated that he had been a role model as an elected representative and had made Kerala’s voice heard in Parliament.

Mr. Thankachan said Mr. Banatwala’s death was a heavy loss for the UDF.

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