By Shafeeq Hudawi, TwoCircles.net
Kozhikode: Hardly a day after his candidature was announced, U C Raman made a beeline to Panakkad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, seeking in earnest the blessings of the descendant of Prophet Mohammed like every IUML candidate.
Although Raman is not a Muslim, he believes that everything ends up on a good note when he starts his journey from Kodappanakkal House in Malappuram, the power house of Muslims in Kerala. Raman is contesting from the Balussery constituency in Kozhikode as an IUML candidate. He is in the fray not only to win the seat, which is conceived as the bastion of CPM, but to strengthen the developing Muslim- Dalit political coordination in Kerala.
“I am here to keep a rich tradition of IUML intact, which has been granting due privileges to the Dalit community in Kerala from its inception. If the number of Dalit candidates fielded by the party in local self-governing bodies is taken as an indication, IUML is the only political outfit that allows due allocation for Dalits in elections,” Raman told Twocircles.
The prominent leader of Dalit League, Dalit outfit of IUML, has been contesting as IUML independent in the Assembly elections since 2001 from the Kunnamangalam constituency of Kozhikode district. In 2001 and 2006, he won from the Kunnamangalam reserved seat as an IUML independent. He took membership of IUML in the very next year after he was elected as MLA in 2001 from Kunnamangalam. He contested against CPM’s P Kunjan with aeroplane as the symbol. In 2006, Raman defeated CPM’s Balan Vaidyar in the same constituency. Though Kunnamangalam was a general seat in 2011, he was retained as IUML’s candidate. He however, lost to PTA Raheem by a margin of 3,158 votes.
If we take district and constituency committees into consideration, the Dalit League is active in five districts of the Malabar region. The number of Dalit League representatives in local self-governing bodies of Kerala stands at around 250. Last year, Dalit League leader A P Unnikrishnan was appointed by IUML leadership as Malappuram district panchayat president.
IUML leadership, by fielding Raman, is eyeing a new political equation in Kerala. “Since 1960s, Dalit leaders have been finding a befitting place in IUML. Former Dalit MLA KP Raman won Wandoor seat in Malappuram with the support of IUML. KP Raman was the inmate of a Muslim orphanage at Tirurangadi in Malappuram. He was brought up and moulded as political leader by late IUML leader MK Haji,” says IUML functionary Ummer Pandikasala.
Raman, along with Dalit leader Chadayan, has bee the familiar faces at IUML venues. “The duo was sitting on the right and left sides of our great late leaders like Bafaqi Thangal and C H Mohammed Koya,” Ummer adds.
According to him, Raman has been entrusted to the duty of reviving and strengthening this rich tradition.
Raman is happy as the party extends him due consideration. “My opinions in various issues find befitting place in party’s policy and decision. In a state which boasts to be developed in terms of education and social life Dalit mainstreaming is still a concern. Parties like IUML can have sincere interventions in Dalit empowerment initiatives,” Raman says.
IUML leadership believes that Raman will sail into victory in Balussery constituency, where Muslims roughly forms one third of the population while Dalit population stands at 10 per cent.