Indian Union Muslim League
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Indian Union Muslim League is an Islamic nationalist political party in India. The chief support base of the party falls inside northern Kerala.
Note that since the name 'Indian Union Muslim League' is registered at the Electoral Commission by a splinter-group of the party, the party contests elections as the 'Muslim League Kerala State Committee'.
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[edit] History of the party
The party has roots in the Muslim League of Jinnah. IUML was founded on March 10, 1948. IUML claims to be the political organization of all Indian Muslims, but only a fraction of the Muslim masses of the country supports the party. Actually IUML was heavily in favour of creation of Pakistan.
The party participated in the ouster of the first communist government in Kerala in 1959. In 1960 the party took part in the formation of a coalition government in the state, consisting of the Indian National Congress, Praja Socialist Party and IUML. The government proved short lived. In the elections in Kerala in 1967 the party had entered a united front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The other members of the front were Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Karshaka Thozhilali Party (Peasants and Workers Party), Kerala Socialist Party and Samyukta Socialist Party. Muslim League had two ministers in the state government of that front. In 1969 the party left the CPI(M)-led government and participated in the formation of a new government, led by Communist Party of India leader Achutha Menon as Chief Minister, together with CPI, RSP, KSP and Kerala Congress.
After the 1970 elections Achyutha Menon became elected Chief Minister for the second time. Members of the governing coalition were Indian National Congress, IUML, RSP and PSP. The Menon government lasted until the downfall of the Indira Gandhi regime in 1977 (no state elections were held in this period). In the chaos that followed the IUML leader C.H. Mohammed Koya held the post of Chief Minister in 1979.
The immoral lifestyle and debauchery of the leaders have discredited the party in the state of Kerala, of late. Kunchalikkutty, generally viewed as the second man in the party echelon, fell into ignominy following his involvement in various sex scandals. The controversies over the criminal charges against him and accusations by one of his victims have caused high political drama in the state of Kerala in the recent past. While Muslim League's moderate stance on sensitive religious issues have wide approval in Kerala, the party has been on the receiving end for the violence of its activists especially against media persons. The rise of a splinter faction led by K.T. Jaleel following his historic electoral win against Kuncahlikkutty marks a decisive turn in Islamic Politics in Kerala.
[edit] Disintegration ahead of the 1980 elections
When two political fronts, United Democratic Front and Left Democratic Front, crystallized ahead of the 1980 elections two different sections of IUML landed up in opposite camps. A break-away faction, the All India Muslim League joined LDF and the Indian Union Muslim League joined UDF. The two groups reunited in 1985 under the name IUML and as members of UDF.
In 1987 IUML left UDF for a period.
[edit] IUML divided - and reunited
After the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in 1992 IUML was split. The Indian National Congress which then held government at centre were considered as co-responsible for the destruction and a faction led all India president Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait wanted to break the political bond with INC but the majority opposed it and rejected his appeal (they were governing Kerala as part of a UDF government). The party expelled the factionalist from its folder. The Kerala State Committee gained recognition as a "State Party" IUML, the party has roots in outside Kerala, especially in Tamilnadu and some other states.
[edit] Organizational structure
The party youth wing is called Muslim Youth League and their students wing is called Muslim Students Federation. The Party has a women's political wing too - it is called Muslim Women's League. In Kerala the party has a separate trade union organization, Swatantra Thozhilali Union (S.T.U., Independent Workers Union), and a peasants union, Swathanthra Karshaka Sangam (Independent Peasants Union) and KMCC for Gulf employees.
[edit] The party today
The party is today part of the United Progressive Alliance central government and party secretary E. Ahmed is the Minister of State for External Affairs. E. Ahmed is the first central minister in the history of the party.
In Kerala the party had 4 ministers in the recent UDF government. The party recently appointed E. Ahmed as the general Secretary of the Kerala wing of the party.
Apart from Kerala, the party also has some influence in Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu the party is a member of Democratic Progressive Alliance.
In the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 the party won two Parliament seats, E. Ahmed from Kerala and K.M. Kader Mohideen from Tamil Nadu (elected as a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate from Vellore).
