Thiruvananthapuram: A Hamas leader, said to be involved in the October 7 attack on Israel, allegedly participated in a virtual rally organised by the Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, in Malappuram, Kerala.

In a video, Hamas leader Khaled Mashel is seen addressing the attendees.

Meanwhile, the BJP unit in Kerala slammed Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor for taking part in the Indian Union Muslim League's rally in support of Palestine, dubbing it as a "pro-Hamas" event.

Taking to X, Surendran said, "Hamas leader Khaled Mashel's virtual address at the Solidarity event in Malappuram is alarming. Where's Pinarayi Vijayan's Kerala Police ? Under the guise of 'Save Palestine,' they're glorifying Hamas, a terrorist organization, and its leaders as 'warriors.' This is unacceptable!"

A day after tens of thousands of IUML supporters demonstrated in Kozhikode, expressing solidarity with the people of war-torn Palestine, BJP state president K Surendran expressed concern that the conflict was being exploited to escalate communal tensions in the state.

He alleged in a press conference that the IUML rally in Kozhikode was "pro-Hamas," and claimed that anti-national slogans were raised throughout the event.

The BJP leader also contended that Tharoor's participation in the rally, given his prior role as a UN diplomat, contradicts the country's established stance on the issue.