THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indian Union Muslim League and its National general secretary PK Kunhalikutty are upbeat after tasting blood in the recent RS seat issue. It is to the credit and wily tactics deployed by the Muslim League leader that the RS seat was wrested from the Congress and “gifted” to Kerala Congress(Mani). There were allegations and counter allegations in the Congress with senior leaders taking sides and firing salvos against each other and press were regularly briefed by the Congress top brass who felt peeved at the way they lost the RS seat.
Kunhalikutty has emerged with the upperhand in this move as had arranged the RS seat for KM Mani and this makes the duo formidable in the UDF scheme of things. Kunhalikuty, being a shrewd politician knows that his position in the party is not as comfortable as it was during the period of Late Panakkad Shihab Thangal, and other power centres including Abdul Wahab MP and KNA Khader and MK Muneer are emerging in addition to the next generation from the Panakkad family. He, according to sources, has started the process of wresting the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat from the Congress and in the process maintaining his supremacy in the party.
Sitting MP of Wayanad, M I Shanavas is popular among the Muslim masses of North Kerala, especially in Kozhikode, which can be considered as the capital of Malabar. In all the functions of Muslim community including that of the varying Muslim factions being held in and around Kozhikode, Shanavas is always a presence and this has irritated the Muslim League. The party knows that in its turfs of Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode city if a Muslim leader emerges it will be damaging to the party in the long run. Unlike Aryadan Mohammed, whose acceptability in the Muslim community is comparatively less, Shanavas is more popular and after his successful second term from Wayanad Lok Sabha has emerged stronger. This has lead to a thought in the Muslim League that Shanavas is a potential threat to its community stronghold.
Kunhalikutty, who wants to emerge in the party again with his full might, is trying to seize this dissent among the Muslim League leaders and cadres and has put forward his theory that in addition to Malappuram and Ponnani Loksabha seats, party wants Wayanad also. He, according to sources has already started the campaign among the Muslim League cadres that three assembly constituencies of Wayanad loksabaha seat, Eranad, Wandoor and Nilambur are in Malappuram district and are strongholds of the Muslim League. He, sources informed, argues that such a seat must be represented in Lok Sabha by Muslim League and not by the Congress for that matter.
A senior leader of the Muslim League who does not want to be named told Express “Kunhalikutty is of the opinion, which many top leaders of the party share, that if CPI is contesting from four Lok Sabha seats from the LDF, then why not Muslim League contest at least three”.He addThe strength of the Muslim League is much more than what the CPI is in Kerala and the party should get seats from the UDF according to its proportionate strength”.