Will unitedly face the situation: Basheer

Malappuram (Ker), Feb 5 (PTI) Indian Union Muslim League(IUML) today said it would unitedly face the situation arisingout of the recent allegations against party leader P KKunkalikutty relating to an alleged sex scandal and policefiling FIR against him in this connection.

Talking to reporters here, IUML state secretary E TMuhammed Basheer alleged that "certain outside forces" weretrying to create confusion on the issue.

The party under the leadership of its president PanakkadHyderali Shihab Thangal would unitedly face the "presentsituation", he said.

IUML meeting scheduled for tomorrow would chalk out ways toface the ''challenges'' arising out of the situation, he said.

He said there was a concerted move to defame the party andKunhalikutty personally by creating bogus and fabricatedstories.

A revelation by Kunhalikutty that he faced a threat to hislife from a relative paved the way for the row.

The League leader''s relative K A Rouf not only denied thecharge but went on record to say he had helped Kunhalikutty toscuttle the "Ice cream parlour" sex scam case by influencingvictims and witnesses to retract their statements.

Police had on January 30 registered FIR against Kunhalikuttyand Rouf on the charge of entering into a conspiracy topressurise some victims to retract their earlier statements,which became vital in subsequent dismissal of the case.

The ''Icecream parlour case'' relates to allegations thatsurfaced in late 1990s that an ice cream parlour in Kozhikodecity was used as a cover to lure young women into sex rackets.

Kunhalikutty quit as Industries Minister in the Congress-led UDF Government in 2004 in the wake of allegations inconnection with the case.

The IUML leader, however, did not figure as an accused inthe case. But political rivals and women''s rights outiftsalleged that he had misused his position and clout to avoidfacing prosecution.

IUML is a constituent in the Congess-led United DemocraticFront opposition

Kunhalikutty in an interview to a Malayalam channelyesterday had alleged that the recent controversy over the icecrease parlour sex scandal was nothing but a ''conspiracy''against him.

Meanwhile, Kerala Congress (M) leader and former ministerK M Mani demanded the government to conduct an inquiry intothe allegations against Kunhalikutty " as a conspiracy hasbeen hatched to damage his image".

''The conspirators should be brought to light'', he demanded.

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in response to a queryon the IUML allegation that Chief Minister''s office had a rolein the move against Kunhalikutty and Muslm League said ''suchallegations are for diverting the attention''.

''People involved in problems will indulge in variouspropaganda to divert the attention and these allegations arealso part of such a move'', Balakrishnan said.