IUML maintains restraint in Samastha ties ahead of Assembly polls

The Sunni faction supporting the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) within the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama has chosen to stay under the radar in spite of the party’s decisive victory in the recent local body elections.

Although the IUML and its leadership have been displeased with the recent treatment by the Samastha leadership, particularly during a recent yatra by Samastha president Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal from Kanyakumari to Mangalore, the party has signalled its cadres to remain restrained and avoid offending Samastha and its affiliates.

The IUML is now focused on the upcoming State Assembly elections, likely in April-May. The party is cautious in choosing its battles, viewing any confrontation with detractors within the Samastha, particularly the Shajara group, as a waste of energy with a major election imminent.

A large section within the Samastha believes that IUML State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal, widely regarded by many as the ‘Sayyidul Ummah’ (leader of the Muslim community), was not accorded the respect and recognition he deserved during Mr. Jifri Thangal’s yatra.

During the yatra, Mr. Shihab Thangal and IUML national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty were treated no differently from any other political leader meeting the Samastha president. Nevertheless, the IUML leaders welcomed the Samastha president warmly in Malappuram and extended their support to the Samastha centenary celebrations scheduled in Kasaragod from February 4 to 8.

However, the divide between the pro- and anti-IUML factions within the Samastha continues to play out on social media, where the rift is clearly visible. Both sides are at odds online, openly and vehemently riling at each other.

According to a senior leader from Malappuram, the IUML is holding back until after the Assembly elections. If the party returns to power in Kerala, it plans to respond firmly to the Samastha leaders who asserted their influence under the current government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Meanwhile, the IUML has warmed up to the Sunni faction led by Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, ending over three decades of frosty relations. The split originally occurred in 1989, when Mr. Kanthapuram and his group left the Samastha over IUML’s dominance and formed their own organisation. After decades of stand-offs and skirmishes, however, the IUML and the Kanthapuram Sunni faction have begun engaging with each other.

However, it remains to be seen whether the IUML can secure the votes of the Kanthapuram faction, which has so far tended to support the LDF.