The Kerala State committee of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has once again tactfully declined the advances of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] by turning down its invitation to attend a rally to express solidarity with the Palestinian people in Kozhikode on November 11.
While announcing this after emerging from a high-level meeting of the party here on Saturday, national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty thanked the CPI(M) for the invitation. “But, being a constituent of the United Democratic Front (UDF), due to technical reasons, we are unable to attend the event. Representatives of religious organisations will be present there. Let it be a grand programme,” he said.
The IUML’s decision followed speculation about the party’s tilt towards the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the State. The CPI(M) had not initially included the IUML on the list of invitees to the rally though Muslim organisations such as the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, a Sunni scholars’ forum that has been the backbone of the latter, is part of it. However, while addressing the media a couple of days ago, party national organising secretary E.T. Mohammed Basheer, MP, announced that his party would consider attending the rally if the CPI(M) extended an invitation. CPI(M) Kozhikode district secretary P. Mohanan quickly responded, saying his party would be too happy to do so.
Earlier instance
This led to rumours about the CPI(M)’s overtures towards the IUML, a major constituent of the Opposition UDF led by the Congress, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The IUML had stayed away from a CPI(M) seminar against the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in July this year though it was invited to the event, while the Samastha participated in it. A CPI(M) representative attended another seminar against the UCC, organised by the Muslim Coordination Committee as well.
Since the Samastha was not invited to the IUML’s Palestine solidarity rally in Kozhikode on October 26, reports about the continuing difference between the two began doing the rounds again. The IUML’s displeasure over the apparent soft stand taken by the Congress on issues concerning the minorities too came to the fore. A remark by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran in connection with the issue kicked up a row as well.
Cong.-League parleys
The State Congress leadership, meanwhile, took up the CPI(M)‘s invite seriously and is reported to have held parleys with the IUML top brass. Thereafter, discussions were held within the IUML on Saturday. Panakkad Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal, who could not attend the meeting held at the State committee office in Kozhikode, was consulted over phone.
“We are part of an alliance involving the Congress, which was not invited to the event. If we attend it, an impression will be created that there is some sort of discord. So we thought of declining the invitation,” Mr. Kunhalikutty said. He also urged the government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the Palestine issue.
