Journalism of Courage
Weeks after commenting on the “absence of Congress MPs” in the Rajya Sabha, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP PV Abdul Wahab landed in a soup yet again two days ago after praising Union BJP ministers V Muraleedharan and Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Wahab’s party, which has been a long-time Congress ally, publicly distanced itself from the comments and sought an explanation from him.
Wahab, 71, is serving his third Rajya Sabha term. He has business interests in the Gulf and was first elected to the Upper House in 2004.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session on Wednesday, Wahab called Muraleedharan “Kerala’s ambassador in Delhi”.
“If he were not there, we would be completely blank. He is taking care of not only his party but Kerala also. He is doing a wonderful job,’’ Wahab said, adding, “Muraleedharan is making undue comments against the Kerala government, which is not correct.”
The IUML MP then went on to talk about Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology, and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. “I want to congratulate minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar who is not here. Actually, what is happening here, which is laudable, is skill development.”
The comments caused a stir in Kerala and the IUML leadership sought an explanation from the Rajya Sabha MP. This made Wahab back down and he informed the party leadership that he “would not repeat the mistake of praising BJP ministers again”.
Speaking to reporters, IUML general secretary PMA Salam said, “Wahab had confessed to the mistake and assured the leadership that the mistake would not be repeated. The issue is now closed.”
Wahab told reporters on Thursday that his comments in the Rajya Sabha were “misconstrued”. He said, “My statements were meant to praise anyone. It was stated in a humorous manner. I humorously criticised Muraleedharan’s approach. My speech was made with good intention but it was misconstrued. I had given my explanation to the party leadership.”
Earlier this month, during a debate on a Bill on the Uniform Civil Code in the Rajya Sabha, Wahab said: “My Congress friends are not here.”
When Wahab was first nominated to the Rajya Sabha, his candidature triggered a debate, with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) alleging that he was enjoying the “benefits of a Non-Resident Indian (NRI)” and there was “foul play in Wahab’s name on the voter’s list”.
However, the controversy died down allegedly due to Wahab’s links with a section of the CPI(M). Wahab is a shareholder in the CPI(M)-backed Kairali TV. In 2004, then Leader of Opposition VS Achuthanandan questioned why party leaders had attended a programme organised by Wahab after being elected to the Rajya Sabha.
In 2008, when the CPI(M) was in power in Kerala, Wahab faced allegations of encroaching on government land in Kozhikode.
Wahab has business ventures across Kerala and West Asia under his company PeeVees. He has business interests in the field of oil, steel, real estate development, education, health, and farms. As per the affidavit filed in his nomination papers in 2021, Wahab and his spouse have immovable properties worth more than Rs 71 crore and movable properties worth about Rs 17 crore.
