Southern States - Kerala   

IUML to initiate damage-control measures

By R. Madhavan Nair

KOZHIKODE SEPT. 30. The defeat of the UDF in the Ernakulam Lok Sabha by-election has made it imperative for the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to look for ways to refurbish its image, which has taken a beating on account of the way in which the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, has handled the sensitive Marad issue.

There are League leaders who believe that the Chief Minister is no longer popular among the minority communities.

The Ernakulam by-election result has also raised the question whether the IUML is losing its hold among the Muslim vote bank. It is significant that the IUML leader, Panakkad Syed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal's appeal to vote for the UDF in the Ernakulam by-election went unheeded.

It has been agreed by all that the swing in Muslim votes in the Ernakulam constituency did influence the anti-UDF poll verdict in the election.

Which is why the IUML leadership is keen to repair the damage caused to its image by the recent developments in Marad. Speculation centres on the question how the party would go about this job. The IUML has been getting disenchanted with Mr. Antony and this dissatisfaction has grown considerably after his controversial statement about minority-majority equations in the State. This disillusionment is clearly reflected in statements issued by Mr. Thangal in response to the by-election result and earlier to Mr.Antony's "anti-minority'' statement.

That the League leadership holds Mr. Antony responsible in no small measure for the UDF defeat is clear from the editorial in the IUML mouthpiece Chandrika today.

The editorial said: "There is no doubt that the election result has affected the UDF's image. It would not be fair to interpret Sebastian Paul's victory as an expression of people's support to the LDF either. There have been some incidents in the recent past that have caused considerable pain to the minorities. A few among these are the issues in Marad, the Chief Minister's anti-minority statement, the delay in implementing the recommendations of the Narendran Commission on job reservation and the Tourism Minister, K. V. Thomas' meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon.

In Marad, there has been an indefinite delay in rehabilitation. The police, who claim to be impartial, are not doing justice. The Chief Minister chose to remain passive as the Sangh Parivar bared its fangs. The Muslim voters in Ernakulam were also sceptical whether the Chief Minister would be able to keep his promise to complete the rehabilitation before October 2.

All are agreed that the resentment of the Muslim community is reflected in the Ernakulam by-election result. This is a clear warning to the Government. The import of this message has to be grasped in all its gravity," the editorial said.

The League leadership appears to have set in motion its damage control exercise.

Among its top leaders who are now in Thiruvananthapuram to discuss political strategies for the future are the IUML general secretary and MP, E. Ahmed, and the legislature party leader and Industries Minister, P. K. Kunhalikutty. Some of the League's senior leaders still hold the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran, in high esteem but so far there have been no indications that the IUML would back him in case the Congress high command agreed to a leadership change in Kerala.

The League leaders do not believe that Mr. Karunakaran would join hands with the LDF even though his stand enabled the LDF candidate to win in the by-election.

The Chandrika editorial makes the League's assessment of Mr. Karunakaran very clear. "There is no denying the fact that K. Karunakaran is one of the eminent architects of the UDF. Though, sometimes, he gets carried away by emotions, it is hard to think of a Congress minus Karunakaran. In this by-election he has sent a clear message to his high command that his support is vital for the victory of a party candidate in the Lok Sabha election. It is unlikely that this message would go unheeded when the Lok Sabha poll is round the corner," said the editorial.

The League is keen that the Congress remains strong and cohesive since its perception is that only the Congress would be capable of thwarting the BJP's bid to win the coming Lok Sabha election. The IUML's future moves would be guided by its anxiety to keep the Congress strong and united. It is as if the future of the IUML and the Congress is inextricably linked.

The big question is whether it would consider a change of leadership in the Congress and the UDF in Kerala as the only way to keep its political prospects bright.

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