New Delhi: When Communist Party of India (Marxist) Kerala state secretary M.V. Govindan last month highlighted the need for “political unity” against communalism, describing the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) as a “democratic” outfit, he set the cat among the pigeons. That’s because the IUML — a party based out of Kerala with a largely Muslim and very committed base — has been a Congress ally for over five decades, though it has in the past also tied up with the Left.
Govindan’s comments were interpreted in many quarters as “feelers” to the IUML. The furore they generated were matched perhaps only by the disquiet the IUML caused its own ally, the Congress, when Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor met IUML chief Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal in November.
The meeting had come close on the heels of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran’s claim that former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had shown “magnanimity” by including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader S.P. Mookerjee in his cabinet. Sudhakaran’s remarks had drawn open criticism from the IUML.
The fact that Tharoor’s Kerala tour had faced obstructions from the state Congress unit added to the churning in the party about the IUML, Tharoor and the Kerala situation. Senior leaders in Delhi wondered whether the meeting signified that Tharoor was a more acceptable Congress face in Kerala than the current state leadership.
Govindan on 10 December 2022 had caused a political upheaval when he said, “They (IUML) could see such things with a secular perspective. The CPI(M) wants to strengthen the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The doors are open for any party that is ready to abandon Right-wing politics. All secular and democratic parties and forces should come together to fight religious fascism. The LDF is a political alliance with a clear policy, but we have not invited any party.”
Many, including the Communist Party of India (CPI) — the second-largest partner in the LDF — interpreted Govindan’s remarks as an overture by the CPI(M) to the IUML, and the CPI made its displeasure known.
Both incidents involving the Congress and the Left and their aftermath show that no matter which side of the political divide you are on, if you’re in Kerala politics, you cannot ignore the IUML.
Formed in 1948 in Madras (now Chennai), the IUML is a part of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance in Kerala and has also been a part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre. It has very strong influence in north Kerala districts that have a high Muslim population, such as Malappuram, Kannur (home district of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan), and Kasaragod.
When Rahul Gandhi, then the Congress president, filed his nomination from Wayanad ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, prominent in the sea of flags were the green ones of IUML — which sparked a controversy, with the BJP alleging that these were Pakistani flags. The party currently has 15 seats in the 140-member Kerala assembly, as well as one in the Rajya Sabha and three (including one MP from Tamil Nadu) in the Lok Sabha.
ThePrint reached out to IUML Lok Sabha member and organising secretary (national committee) E.T. Muhammed Basheer over the telephone, SMS and email, and also to general secretary (national committee) P.K. Kunhalikutty via telephone and WhatsApp. This article will be updated when a response is received. ThePrint also reached out to several Left leaders, state ministers and MPs. A response is awaited.
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Rumours of Left alliance some months old
While Govindan’s comments have given new life to the speculation about the IUML crossing over to the ruling coalition, the idea started doing the rounds right after the LDF notched up a second consecutive assembly election victory in 2021, powered mostly by its record of managing the Covid pandemic.
It was the victors who reached out, with LDF convener E.P. Jayarajan extending an open invitation to the IUML in April 2021 to join the alliance — part of a plan to expand the LDF with the inclusion of new parties. Muslim League leaders had then declined the offer, calling it a “casual offer” that hadn’t even been discussed within the LDF.
According to political commentator J. Prabhash, the IUML outreach is an attempt by the Left to protect itself against possible anti-incumbency when it seeks the people’s mandate again in 2026 after two consecutive terms at the helm. But it’s really a win-win for both, he says.
“IUML has been a Left ally but that was back in 1967. The Left has since refrained from alliances with any major parties whose base belongs overtly to any particular religion. But that seems to be changing now. In its earlier term, it had the Kerala Congress (Mani) which has a predominantly Christian base, and now they are reaching out to IUML. The aim is two things — they want to finish the Congress in Kerala by poaching their biggest ally and the second, of course, is the pursuit of power. For the IUML, it is very clear that it cannot withstand another term out of power,” Prabash says.
Political watchers also talk about a possible plan for the elevation of P.A. Mohammed Riyas, tourism minister and son-in-law of chief minister Vijayan, in the outreach to a Muslim party. While Riyas, many feel, is too junior to be a successor in the CMO yet, pressure from a powerful ally could catapult him to the chair, say some commentators.
Congress dilemma
For the Congress on the other hand, its internal politics seems to be exerting extraneous pressure on its ties with one of its oldest allies. Tharoor, who has become very active in the state since he fought and lost the election to the post of Congress president, has been touring the state. There are several accounts, including some tweets from Tharoor himself, that seem to suggest that the party’s state unit is not entirely comfortable with the former UN official and high profile MP’s frequent flights home.
However, it was during one of these trips that Tharoor met the IUML chief, causing much discomfiture in the party headquarters in Delhi where a section felt that the resistance to his tours stemmed from some powerful AICC functionaries, even though he came across as a more acceptable face to the IUML.
“This is not good for the party. If there is a leader who has a connect with the people, a man whose popularity is increasing, he should be encouraged, he is a valuable asset for the party. To resort to pettiness of this nature hurts not just the Congress but may even affect ties with allies like the IUML who are also conscious of his popularity. This will also lead to factions in the state — something that the Congress can ill afford,” a senior AICC functionary told ThePrint.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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