Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said on Thursday that the statement of CPI-M state committee member P Jayarajan that Kerala has become a recruitment centre for terrorist organisations is very serious.

Satheesan said if Kerala has become a recruitment centre for the ISI (Islamic State), as stated by P Jayarajan, the state government is responsible for it. He asked whether the government and the home department have any authentic information or intelligence report in this regard.

Noting that the statement is coming from a senior CPI-M leader, Satheesan said it is a serious allegation against the state government and the home department. It is very serious that such recruitment is taking place in the chief minister’s own district, Kannur and that the allegation has been made by the state committee member of the CPI-M in the same district.

But in case Jayarajam has made a baseless allegation, action should be taken against him, he contended. “The public wants to know the truth behind the allegation. It is up to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is in charge of the Home Department, to tell whether the allegation is true or false,” he said.

Satheesan asked the party secretary to clarify whether the CPI-M has the stance as that of P Jayarajan in the matter.

Meanwhile, P Jayarajan issued a clarification on his political Islam statement controversy. He said a part of the interview was distorted and that he didn’t say that IS is currently recruiting people from Kerala.

He said he stands by what he said earlier that the IS has recruited people from here previously, who could be counted on the fingers. The CPI-M has always shunned political Islam, he added.

In an interview to a local media, P Jayarajan said Political Islam has become a big challenge in the state as it attracts youths to terror outfits.

Talking about his upcoming book related to Muslim politics and political Islam, the CPI-M strongman said though only a few youths from Kannur had joined terror outfits like Islamic State (IS), the influence of political Islam is a matter of concern and an issue in Kerala.