Malappuram: The Indian Union Muslim League’s ire against the Sunni faction led by Kanthapuram A.P. Abubacker Musliyar stems from erosion of votes in its strongholds of Malappuram and Kozhikode.
The League had lost some 1.5 lakh votes in Malappuram alone in the Assembly elections when the faction openly supported the LDF. They had worked extensively through their organisational network to defeat League candidates in many places.
IUML state general secretary K.P.A. Majeed said the party took the stand against the Musliyar because of his proximity to the BJP.
“He is free to take any political position. But his connections with the Sangh Parivar can never be tolerated, and it goes against the common interest of the community,” he told this newspaper.
Kerala Muslim Jamath (KMJ), an organisation that the Musliar leads, shunned his allegations.
“The League has a track record of allying with BJP, and everybody knows that. Our previous experience with the League led us to go against them in the elections,” said N. Ali Abdullah, secretary of the KMJ. The relationship between the Kanthapuram faction and the League turned bitter in the run-up to the election after the disputed moves of the State Waqf Board chaired by a League nominee. “The Board has taken many actions arbitrarily against our institutions. Behind this is a religious organisation which has a strong support of the League,” he said. The KMJ had organised mass protest marches on Board offices in Kozhikode and Manjeri during the thick of electioneering.
The relationship between the two worsened ever since the IUML state president Hyderali Shihab Thangal elevated to the post after the demise of Muhammed Ali Shihab Thangal, who had a good relationship with the Musliar. Being the leader of the rival Sunni faction, Hyderali Thangal was forced to go against him.
The Musliar had earlier made it clear that being Hyderali Thangal at the helm of Muslim League peace between them could be difficult.
