The Hindu : Kerala News : IUML absence triggers speculation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 11, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

IUML absence triggers speculation

By A. Harikumar

ALAPPUZHA, NOV. 10. The absence of Indian Union Muslim League leaders in the mass contact programme of the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, and a public meeting organised by the United Democratic Front (UDF) here on Tuesday has triggered speculation about the political stand the Muslim League would take in the coming days.

Congress leaders say that the absence of Muslim League leaders in the programmes is baffling. They point out that League leaders had participated in a UDF leaders' meeting held here in the morning prior to the Chief Minister's programme. The Congress leaders say that the IUML leaders had not informed them about any decision to boycott the function. Even active workers of the Muslim League skipped Mr. Chandy's public functions.

However, leaders of all other constituents of the UDF, including the Alappuzha district chief of the Kerala Congress(B), participated in the public meeting organised by the UDF.

Sudheeran issue

The absence of League leaders and activists in the programme became conspicuous in the context of the allegations raised against the Alappuzha district leadership of the party by the Congress leader and former Alappuzha MP V.M. Sudheeran. Mr. Sudheeran had alleged that the IUML district leadership had supported the mineral sand-mining lobby and worked to defeat him in the last Lok Sabha elections.

While League sources say that the UDF liaison committee has not discussed the Sudheeran issue yet and the party's boycott was in protest against it, Congress sources claim that the Muslim League `boycott' was following the pressure exerted by the Congress high command on it leadership following the allegations raised against the Industries Minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty, in the Kozhikode ice-cream parlour sex scandal.

Though the Muslim League is unlikely to claim that it was a boycott, it clearly wanted to convey its displeasure to the UDF over the issue in a subtle manner.

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