MALAPPURAM: A day before the election verdict, the Indian Union Muslim League is grappling with a mounting political crisis, as controversies over the proposed bifurcation of Malappuram and leadership preferences for the CM post trigger widespread criticism. The situation intensified after the Youth League’s Tirurangadi constituency committee passed a resolution backing the creation of a new district with Tirurangadi as its headquarters.
The development snowballed into a statewide debate, particularly as senior party leaders, including state president Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal and general secretary P M A Salam, were present at the event.
Opposition parties, notably the Sangh Parivar outfits, have launched sharp attacks, alleging that the IUML is pushing a community-centric agenda even before a potential UDF government assumes power.
“If this is the situation in the exit polls itself.....? Political Kerala should show the will to keep the League out of the government. Leaders should be ready to dismantle the frontline relations if necessary without creating unrest within. The Congress, which covered up the unrest within since 1916, paved the way for the partition of India. If the League is allowed to play a decisive role in the government, it will be like giving a ladder to a monkey,” wrote activist K P Sasikala on Facebook, reacting to the bifurcation demand.
Meanwhile, Salam told TNIE that bifurcation is essential given the district’s high population density. “It is not just Malappuram that needs bifurcation, Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam also need to be divided based on population density. Samastha and many other religious outfits have also raised the same demand,” said Salam.
He, however, clarified that the IUML has not taken an official stand. “What happened in Tirurangadi wasn’t IUML’s official decision. Though I was in the programme, I left after the inauguration.
The resolution was passed by the Youth League constituency committee. IUML had no role in it. We haven’t discussed the matter yet,” Salam added.
Adding to the unease within the alliance, the IUML leadership appears to be facing a cold response from a section of the Indian National Congress after Thangal’s recent remark projecting V D Satheesan as the most suitable leader for the CM post. Speaking to the media, Thangal said the UDF would take a call based on public sentiment.
Reacting sharply, SNDP Yogam leader Vellappally Natesan lashed out at the Muslim League, alleging that it was inappropriate for the party to decide the Congress chief minister. He warned that if the UDF came to power, it would turn into a “religious dictatorship” of the League and claimed that a repeat of the Marad communal violence was possible.
Within the Congress also, discontent is brewing. “It is clear that Muslim League wants V D Satheesan as the CM. However, they should have kept the front etiquette. Already the infighting in Congress is severe between the KC wing and VD wing, so Thangal’s statement was at the wrong time and escalated the issue,” a senior leader told TNIE.
Salam once again defended the IUML, alleging that the media had misinterpreted Thangal’s remarks. “Community leaders like Natesan are trying to communalise the issue. All news coming out is fabricated and even the Congress leadership has no issues with what Thangal said,” he added.
