Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday urged Chief Minister V D Satheesan to ensure there was no appeasement of radical groups, after reports emerged of an “Islam-friendly gym” being launched in the northern district of Palakkad.
In a post on X, Chandrasekhar, who represents the Nemom constituency in the state Assembly, directly addressed the CM, saying: “We will not allow this creeping subterfuge in our state, CM Shri @vdsatheesan. You have made claims that there will be no appeasement. Please live up to it before things boil over.”
Chandrasekhar was responding to another X post that claimed a gym in Palakkad had been converted to operate under Islamic guidelines.
According to the post, the gym would not play music, would have separate workout timings for men and women, and women members would be expected to follow Islamic dress requirements, including wearing a hijab.
It also said people from other faiths could join if they agreed to the rules.
Criticising the development, Chandrasekhar wrote: “The BJP-NDA predicted this dangerous politics. #ApakadamPolitics.”
“A Cong/IUML/Jamaat-e-Islami government would talibanise parts of Kerala, creating pockets of radical Islam contrary to the Constitution of India and every law of this land,” he claimed.
“Reality is that when a government is built on appeasement as a political policy, radical groups use that to push their agenda because they do not fear the law,” the BJP MLA added.
There was no immediate response from the CMO to Chandrasekhar’s remarks.
Earlier, media reports had claimed that a new gymnasium was preparing to begin operations based on Islamic principles.
The gym, said to be located in Puthunagaram in Palakkad, has been operating for the past 15 years and was recently renovated.
Following the renovation, its owner reportedly announced on his Instagram profile that the facility would undergo a major transformation to become completely “Islam-friendly.”
The owner also reportedly clarified that the decision was not driven solely by profit or the aim of generating higher income.
Although the gym would operate in accordance with Islamic guidelines, the owner reportedly said that people of all faiths would be allowed to join, provided they were willing to follow the regulations.
Under these rules, no music would be played inside the gym.
Men and women would not exercise together, and separate timings would be allotted for them.
Another key requirement is that ‘awrah’ must be fully covered while exercising.
In Islamic law, ‘awrah’ refers to parts of the body that must be concealed.
