KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala’s comment in Kozhikode on Saturday, that the Indian Union Muslim League was a liability, has caused a political flutter with the Congress high command stepping in. To make things worse, even the NSS has come out against his view of a lakshman rekha when it came to ties with caste-based organisations.
The responsibility of keeping the United Democratic Front intact was not the responsibility of IUML alone, the League felt and the Nair Service Society accused Mr Chennithala of trying to wriggle out of issues by putting the blame on the NSS.
A meeting of the top leaders of the League was held at the residence of party supremo Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal in Malappuram on Sunday where it was decided in convening the party secretariat on July 4 to take stock of the political situation. Mr Chennithala had at the commemoration meeting of late KPCC president C.K. Govindan Nair said that the IUML had become a political liability for the Congress as foreseen by Nair long ago.
It is learnt that the Congress high command intervened with Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel taking up the matter and requesting the League leadership not to take any “drastic step”. IUML treasurer P.K. Kunhalikutty confirmed that Mr Patel did speak to Mr Thangal and national president E. Ahmed.
League national secretary E.T. Mohammed Basheer said, “Both Congress and IUML had equal responsibility in maintaining the political alliance and the UDF. The Congress was free to chart its own course and the League too will then have such freedom,” he warned.