The contrast between two interfaith relationships has exposed the double standards of Kerala’s so-called progressive political establishment.
Neha Fathima, a Muslim contestant on Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 8, recently received a surprise visit from her parents. Her parents were upset over her growing emotional involvement with fellow contestant Tashi Raj, a Hindu man, and asked her to leave the show. Neha had earlier confessed her feelings for Tashi and said she wanted to take the relationship forward after the show, with her parents’ consent, as reported in OpIndia.
In the promo released by the show, her father tells her, “Neha, do you remember us? We don’t think you do.” Her mother says Neha was getting emotionally involved while other contestants were simply playing a game.
Comment Your Opinion on This ‼️‼️‼️‼️🤐 https://t.co/tiqwpYNTni
— Kerala Box Office (@KeralaBxOffce) November 1, 2026
Now compare this with what happened in the case of Monalisa Bhosle.
Monalisa, a Hindu girl from Madhya Pradesh who became famous during the 2025 Maha Kumbh, married Muslim man Farman Khan in Kerala in March 2026. Her father had raised objections and filed a complaint alleging that his daughter had been taken away. The couple claimed they were both adults.
Instead of extending the same consideration to the father’s concerns, senior CPI(M) leaders publicly celebrated the marriage. Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty, CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan and Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim attended the couple’s wedding celebrations and projected the marriage as an example of communal harmony. The marriage was even described as the “Real Kerala Story”, in a political counter to the film The Kerala Story.
The father’s concerns were dismissed on the basis of the age shown in Monalisa’s Aadhaar card, which recorded her date of birth as 1 January 2008.
But the matter took a serious turn after the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes intervened. Its investigation obtained hospital records from Madhya Pradesh which reportedly showed that Monalisa was born on 30 December 2009. That would have made her just 16 years old when she married Farman.
Following the findings, Madhya Pradesh Police registered a POCSO case against Farman. The discrepancy also raised questions over the age documents used to establish that Monalisa was an adult.
And this is where the double standard becomes impossible to ignore.
When Muslim parents object to their daughter pursuing a Hindu man, their concerns are portrayed as emotional pressure and interference. But when a Hindu father raises concerns about his daughter marrying a Muslim man, CPI(M) leaders rush to celebrate the relationship as secularism and communal harmony—even as serious questions about her age remain.
Apparently, in Kerala’s version of secularism, parental objections are unacceptable in one case but perfectly dispensable in another when the religions are interchanged. The deciding factor seems to be not the principle of individual freedom, but whose relationship serves the political narrative.
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
