By Shafeeq Hudawi, Twocircles.net
Kozhikode: Come April, and Kerala will witness the state assembly elections. For all parties involved, this is the period to brainstorm, plan and look for ways to ensure a victory. For Indian Muslim League, the questions seem simpler: it has understood that if it needs to better its score, the party must also cater to one section of the Muslim population they have mostly ignored until now: women.
When it comes to gender question, the party, which otherwise attempts to project itself as a progressive organisation finds itself with little to say or contribute. Since its induction to the Kerala Assembly in 1982, the party has not had any woman representative in the Assembly.
In the wake of the criticisms, pouring against such contradictions in the political policies, the party leadership seems to have finally woken up and is now seriously thinking about fielding a woman candidate, at least in one of the seats where they have a strong chance of winning.
In 1996, the party fielded Qamarunnissa Anwar, the head of Vanitha league—its women’s outfit—as a candidate from the Kozhikode South constituency as IUML candidate. The move, however failed to bear fruit as she ended up losing to CPM leader Elamaram Kareem by more than 5,000 votes. In four elections, the party had meritorious victory except in 2006, in which IUML faced a debacle owing to various factors. In 1982, 1987, 1999, 2001 and 2011 the party had 14, 15, 19, 16 and 20 MLAs respectively, all of which were males.
However, after years long break, the party is contemplating on fielding a woman for the post of an MLA. “To ensure representation for women in the Assembly under the banner of the party seems to be need of the hour. The party will give due consideration for such demands,” IUML national secretary E T Mohammed Basheer told Twocircles.
What keeps such expectations intact is the first ever Vanitha League national convention, recently held in Kochi. The convention had given a clear message to the leadership by urging it to extend a favourable approach towards the demands raised by the women in the party.
Besides, IUML state president Panakkad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, while inaugurating the valedictory session of the conference, had called for efforts to uplift the socio-political standard of Muslim women.
The present trend also favours such a move. Several grama panchayats and block panchayats are run by Muslim women in Malabar after 50 percent women reservation came into force in Kerala five years ago. In an unprecedented incident, the party appointed Suhara Mampad as the president of Malappuram district panchayat in 2010.
“Definitely, things are changing. The party which had extended stiff opposition against women reservation will soon have a woman MLA,” said one of the state committee members of IUML on the priority of anonymity.
Meanwhile, it will not be a cake walk for the party to have a woman MLA as various Muslim organisations, which follow conventional views, are likely to extend stiff resistance towards such moves. Sunni clerics belonging to Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema and other influential leaders like Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, who came to headlines for anti-women statements, tend to give a jolt to the party whenever it takes anti-conventional stands. The party was taught this in 2004 Loksabha elections while KPA Majeed lost Manjeri seat in Malappuram seat to CPM candidate T K Hamsa due to IUML candidate’s anti-Sunni remarks.
“While it comes such moves, the conventional factions are a headache. But, the candidature of Qamarunnisa Anwar was not heavily criticized by the Sunni leaders. Hope such issues, if there any, could be sorted out,” the IUML state committee member said exuding his confidence that if IUML leaders like Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal will hold talks with these leaders.
Dalit-Muslim Coordination
An array of incidents, which the party perceives as planned attacks against minorities and Dalits, IUML has decided to strengthen a better political relation with Dalit community. “The political coordination of two communities assumes much significance in the present political scenario of the country. Definitely, one Dalit candidate will contest the election under the banner of IUML,” said E T Mohammed Basheer MP.
The party, according to Basheer, is looking to strengthen Dalit League, an exclusive outfit of IUML for Dalits.
“Ahead to the Assembly elections, a Dalit-Mulsim convention will be organised by the party in order to develop a common political platform for Muslims and Dalits. This policy is part of the ideology of IUML,” he added.