Kummanam RajasekharanEdappal: Kerala BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan Monday termed the 1921 Malabar Rebellion as the first 'jihadi massacre' in the state.
"Calling a terrifying incident in which Hindus were killed as a freedom struggle is equivalent to humiliating the people of this state and its history," the BJP chief said.
"If it was indeed a struggle against Britishers then why were temples vandalized and number of innocent people killed?" he asked.
"Treating the rebellion as a freedom struggle is an insult to history and the majority community. Hundreds of Hindus were killed and temples destroyed during the rebellion," he alleged.
The glorification of the rebellion should be stopped, he said.
Kummanam said some Muslim outfits were planning to celebrate the centenary and urged mainstream political parties to keep away from the celebrations.
At least now, historians and the state government should come forward to tell the truth about the rebellion and teach the younger generation the true history, he said.
The BJP leader was addressing the media on the sidelines of the party's ongoing 'Jana Raksha Yatra' at Edappal in Malappuram district.
Rajasekharan also visited the family members of Chekanoor Malulavi, a progressive Islamic cleric, who disappeared in 1993 and is believed to have been killed.
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