Kerala – its Communist ruler and the woke followers, never miss a chance to preach “secularism” to the rest of India. They claim to be defenders of free speech, protectors of minorities, and champions of democracy. But when the mask slips, what remains is a story of double standards, selective outrage, and dangerous appeasement politics.
In the state where Palestine flags flutter freely, rallies glorifying Hamas terrorists are organised without consequence, and funeral prayers are offered for men like Yahya Sinwar, the Pinarayi Vijayan government draws the line at an Onam pookolam carrying the words “Operation Sindoor.”
Yes, you read that right.
The latest controversy from Kollam’s Sasthamkotta Temple is a case in point. On the occasion of Onam, a group of RSS workers created a traditional Athapookalam (floral carpet) in the temple courtyard. Instead of the usual motifs, they chose to write “Operation Sindoor” in flowers, a tribute to India’s daring rescue mission that brought back stranded citizens from West Asia in the wake of conflict. Alongside the pookolam, they placed a saffron flag resembling the RSS insignia.
No slogans, no calls for violence, no attempt to stir hatred. Just petals spelling out the name of a humanitarian operation by the Indian state.
And yet, the Kerala Police rushed to register cases against 24 men. Why? Because the temple committee, citing a High Court directive, claimed that political flags and slogans were not permitted on temple premises. The police, as always when it comes to Hindus, acted with breathtaking speed. The pookolam was removed. FIRs were filed. The message was clear: patriotism, if expressed in saffron, will not be tolerated in Kerala.
Here’s a contrast. Take a look at this recent video of a protest by the Islamic organisation – GIO Kerala – Girls Islamic Organisation, Kerala protesting for Gaza and Palestine, raising slogans like “Israel is a terrorist state”.
In the video shared by BJP leader Anoop Joseph, he states that the protest was being carried out at the Devaswom-owned temple land – on the Madayikavu Temple which comes under the Chirakkal Kovilagam in Kannur on Thiruvonam day.
The land belongs to Madayikavu Temple, one of the most vibrant Devi temples in Kerala.
Spanning over 600 acres, the temple grounds are not just sacred, they’re a sanctuary. People from nearby villages and distant towns alike visit this land to spend time in quiet reflection,… pic.twitter.com/GF3ulMLhRM
— Anand #IndianfromSouth (@Bharatiyan108) September 8, 2025
These GIO protestors are seen standing on temple grounds and protesting for Palestine.
When religious fundamentalists rallied for Hamas on the Devaswom-owned land of Mathaikavu Temple under Chirakkal Kovilakam, Kerala Police stood silent.
But when the proud name of Bharat’s Operation Sindoor was written on the courtyard of Sasthamkotta Temple, the very same… pic.twitter.com/IhzMQXmmmy
— Anoop Antony Joseph (@AnoopKaippalli) September 7, 2025
Police have now booked 30 members of the outfit for organizing the march without prior permission, that too on Devaswom-owned land. The action comes with a note of irony, as the High Court had already issued a clear directive prohibiting public programs on this stretch precisely to safeguard the area’s biodiversity.
Coming back to the present issue, the police have registered a case against the demonstrators for conducting the march without permission, and that too on Devaswom land. Charges have been filed against 30 members of the organization. What’s especially ironic is that there’s an… pic.twitter.com/LtGDVApjn6
— Anand #IndianfromSouth (@Bharatiyan108) September 8, 2025
However, this behaviour of Kerala Muslims is not new. Let’s rewind a bit.
The Hamas & Palestine Obsession in Kerala
Over the past two years, Kerala has seen a series of shocking displays of open support for Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by much of the civilised world.
In Palakkad, a mosque procession paraded elephants carrying giant portraits of Hamas leaders like Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. Children were made to wave posters of these men, glorified as “heroes.”
In Ernakulam, a “Mayyath Niskaram” (funeral prayer) was organised for Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7th massacre in Israel. Youths gathered, led by the Student Islamic Organisation, to pray for a man responsible for killing 1,200 innocent civilians.
In Malappuram, Khaled Mashal, the former Hamas chief himself, addressed a pro-Palestine rally via video. He called on Keralites to stand with Hamas, threw in anti-Hindu remarks, and urged jihad against “Zionism.” The crowd roared back with slogans.
In Wayanad, despite floods and landslides, a crowd marched in support of Hamas, mourning the death of Ismail Haniyeh.
Across Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, and Malappuram, posters, marches, and conventions openly celebrated Hamas and its cause. Even the ruling CPI(M) held rallies where anti-Israel and anti-BJP rhetoric flowed freely.
Where were the police then? Silent. Watching. Powerless or worse, complicit? Not a single case registered against those parading terrorists’ faces. Not a single FIR against organisers who dared to beam a wanted Hamas leader into a Kerala rally. Not a single raid on groups holding funeral prayers for international terrorists.
Selective Secularism
This is what passes off as “secularism” in Kerala today:
Hamas & Palestine flags? Allowed.
Funeral prayers for jihadi terrorists? Allowed.
Khaled Mashal’s video message in a public rally? Allowed.
Pookolam with ‘Operation Sindoor’? Banned. Cases filed. Arrests made.
Hypocrisy shot out of the roof. The same government that boasts of defending free expression suddenly becomes hyperactive when Hindus express patriotism on temple grounds. But when Islamists glorify global terror groups, the government shrugs its shoulders and mumbles something about “freedom of assembly.”
Worse, this double standard sends duplicitous messages – to Kerala’s Islamist groups, it signals impunity, a free pass to glorify violence under the cover of “solidarity with Palestine” and to Hindus, it sends intimidation, a warning that even their festivals and temples are not safe from state interference if their expressions do not fit the Left’s “secular” playbook. It is not secularism, it is “selectivism”.
The Larger Agenda
Cracking down on Hindus keeps the narrative of “secular neutrality” alive. But neutrality this is not. It is appeasement, plain and simple. Appeasement that emboldens Islamist radicals while humiliating Hindus in their own sacred spaces. Appeasement that normalises support for global terror organisations while criminalising a harmless floral design celebrating an Indian rescue mission.
Operation Sindoor is not a partisan slogan. It is not an RSS campaign. It is a national mission, India protecting its own citizens after an attack of terror – which is now an act of war. To punish Hindus for honouring it with flowers during Onam is nothing short of an insult to the nation itself.
Kerala seems to want to continue down this path of allowing terror sympathisers to flourish while cracking down on patriotic Hindus. It is already on the path becoming a safe haven for extremist ideologies and extremists – not to forget the several incidents of radicalisation and foreign terror links. The state government’s abetment to all this seems to tell us something – are they hands in glove with everything that is happening?
Last Word
Kerala seems to have become a fascist state – one that it alleges the centre to be. Oh, the irony!
Will the state continue to punish Hindus for their faith and patriotism while giving radicals a free pass?
The message emanating from Kerala is a dangerous one: that in the so-called God’s Own Country, the flags of jihad are afforded more respect than the tricolour of India; that the names of terrorist masters are mourned more deeply than the heroes of our past and present. This is a slippery slope that leads not to a progressive utopia, but to a fractured society.
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