KOZHIKODE: Bringing the internal feud within the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to the fore, state secretary KM Shaji has reacted strongly at a function abroad to reports that he was the subject of scathing criticism at the party working committee meeting. State president Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal has taken serious note of Shaji bringing party’s internal matters on a public stage.
Addressing a function of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) in Muscat on Thursday, Shaji said even if his party corrects him, he will oblige. “I will not leave my party and find shelter in the opposite camp... A warrior’s life, struggle and death will be on the battlefield itself and not in the safe haven of the rival camp. I will not be in the list of people who seek benefits from the rival camp,” he said.
It was reported in the media that those who spoke at the working committee meeting held in Malappuram last Wednesday lashed out at Shaji for his recent statements, including those against NRI businessman Yusuffali M A and party national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty. Shaji didn’t attend the meeting as he was abroad. Thangal said, raising criticism in forums like the working committee is quite natural. “Shaji did not speak to me after the meeting. I will talk to him when he returns. Criticism should be raised within party forums, not outside.”
Shaji’s outbursts could also be seen as a direct reply to Kunhalikutty supporters who had praised their leader’s ability to deal with things ‘diplomatically.’ Shaji group suspects that Kunhalikutty is actively engaged in a mission to lead the party to the rival LDF camp. However, Shaji has something to cheer about in the decisions taken at the working committee meeting.
A state secretariat has been constituted to replace the existing high-power committee that has been taking all crucial decisions. Shaji’s faction alleges that Kunhalikutty has been manipulating the high-power committee to suit his needs. Moreover, the committee has no official validity as there is no mention of such a committee in the party constitution. Meanwhile, Muslim Youth League state general secretary P K Firos, apparently referring to Shaji’s potshots at the official faction, said on Friday that those who go to the extreme will have to face consequences.