Muslim League strongman, former minister Cherkalam Abdullah passes away

coastaldigest.com web desk
July 27, 2018

Kasaragod, Jul 27: Veteran leader of Indian Union Muslim League, former minister and four-time MLA of Manjeshwaram constituency in Kasaragod, Cherkalam Abdullah, is no more. He was 76.

He was suffering from old-age related ailments and was admitted in Kasturba Medical College in Mangaluru for the past two weeks. He was brought home in Cherkala late Thursday night.

The end came today at 8.20am in his house surrounded by his family and close friends, said IUML district general secretary A Abdu Rahman. 

Abdullah, who was said to be the final word in the party in Kasargod district, is credited with building the IUML in Kasargod district, and was always part of the core team of the party for the past 50 years. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly from Manjeshwaram in 1987, and went on to represent the border constituency for the next 19 years.

Chief minister AK Antony made him the minister for local self-government in 2001. The successful poverty alleviation and women empowerment mission Kudumbashree was launched when he was at the helm of the department. He is also credited with introducing performance auditing for officials of local bodies.

Abdullah, known to people as Cherakalam, his hometown, was born to Barikad Muhammed Haji and Asyamma on September 15, 1942, at Cherkalam. He took to politics during his student days, and grew in the party from the bottom rung.

"He used to go around in jeep announcing party functions through the microphone, and has served at all levels of the party, building it brick by brick to bringing it to the level where it is now," said MLA N A Nellikkunnu. He was a natural leader and his word was the final in the district, he said.

During the time he was at the helm of his party in Kasargod, the IUML pipped its partner Congress to become the largest party in the district. Of the 38 gram panchayats, the IUML controls 13 and the Congress just five now. There was a time when the Congress was controlling 18 panchayats.

Cherkalam was the first member of the Kasargod district council. He was the joint secretary of the IUML in the undivided Kannur district from 1972 to 1984. In 1984, when Kasargod district was formed, he was made the district general secretary of the party. In 2002, he was made the party's district president and went on to hold the post till this year. He recused himself because of health reasons, but the state leadership made him the party's state treasurer in February. He also served as the state president of Swatantra Thozhilali Union, the trade union of the IUML.

At the time of his death, he was the chairman of UDF, Kasargod District Liaison Committee. He is survived by wife Ayesha Cherkalam (former president of Cherkala gram panchayat), two daughters, Mehrunisa and Mumtas Sameera (district panchayat member), and two sons C T Muhammed Nasar (Salala), and C A Ahmed Kabeer (former district general secretary of MSF)."His death leaves a vacuum that would be hard to fill," said Nellikkunnu.

Comments

Farooq
 - 
Friday, 27 Jul 2018

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. Karnataka lacks such a strong man for Muslims

Ibrahim
 - 
Friday, 27 Jul 2018

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un

Rameez
 - 
Friday, 27 Jul 2018

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un

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News Network
May 13,2020

Belagavi, 13: In a shocking development, Karnataka has reported its first COVID-19 relapse with a 50-year-old Tablighi Jamaat convention attendee in Belagavi testing positive days after being discharged.

The State health officials confirmed that P-298 from Kudachi, who had recovered and was discharged, has suffered a relapse. He has been re-admitted to a designated hospital in Belagavi.

The patient was initially admitted on April 15 and recovered, testing negative twice on April 30 and May 1. The tests were done at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Bengaluru, and the National Institute of Traditional Medicine (NITM), Belagavi.

Despite recovering, his treatment continued in the ICU for other comorbidities, especially cardiac issues. He was discharged on May 4 and quarantined at an institutional facility in Kudachi.

However, he developed symptoms again and was tested for COVID-19 again on May 5 at NITM, Belagavi. The result came back positive. He was re-admitted to a hospital, and on May 6 a second test was done at the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences. Again, he tested positive.

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News Network
June 25,2020

Ottawa, Jun 25: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took his son out for ice cream on Wednesday in his first family outing since Canada started easing out of its pandemic lockdown.

It was also Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day in Quebec province.

Wearing masks, the Canadian leader and his six-year-old son Hadrien were cheered at Chocolats Favoris in Gatineau, Quebec.

According to a pool report, Trudeau said the shop tapped into a federal emergency wage subsidy and business loan in order to weather the pandemic, and "avoid being frozen out of the frozen treat market."

Hadrien is said to have bounced with excitement, settling on a vanilla cone with a cookie topping while dad bought a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate for himself.

Father and son then headed out to the patio, where they doffed their masks to eat their cones.

Canada's provinces and territories declared states of emergency mid-March, closing schools and non-essential businesses in response to the pandemic.

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News Network
July 15,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 15: Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has announced temporary halt of production at its plant in Bidadi, which is on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

“Halting production will be from July 14 (second shift) to July 22 (first shift) and this is in accordance with the directives issued by the Government of Karnataka as well as to support the Govt. in their constant efforts to flatten the curve of the rising Covid-19 positive cases in Karnataka,” a statement from the company said.

Bengaluru Urban and Rural, and other districts are, are under lockdown from 8 pm on July 14 to 5 am on July 22.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, TKM has adopted a very proactive and multi-faceted approach to safeguard the physical as well as the mental well-being of all its stakeholders including customers, its employees, dealer and supplier partners,” the company said.

“The office staff at TKM’s corporate and regional offices, continue to work from home to help mitigate risks. In addition to the safety protocols that are being followed, TKM has provided safety kits containing essential items like sanitisers, 3 ply masks and handwashes to 5000 employees, their family members and their neighbourhoods.

“TKM understands the urgency of the situation. During these difficult times, TKM is taking obligatory actions to contain further spread and will continue to respond in accordance with guidance issued by the Government and its internal standards,” it added.

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