In a bold move, the Indian Union Muslim League has fielded a brahmin woman, Ms Radha, as its candidate from the Karamana ward here for the local bodies’ polls to be held on October 23 and 25.
Not only that, it has chosen a Christian woman, Ms Patricia Joseph, to be its candidate from the communally sensitive Beemapally area and Ms Thangamani, a Scheduled Caste woman for the Poongulam constituency. The IUML district president, Mr Abbas Sait, told Deccan Chronicle that the decision to field candidates from other religions was an attempt by the party to offer a creative solution to communal wrangling.
“We realised that we cannot change society by speeches alone and have to take concrete steps to show that we believe in communal amity and secularism,” said Mr Sait. Ms Radha has already started campaign in the Brahmin-dominated Karamana area and claimed she was evoking good response. “All of us, Hindus, Muslims and Christians should stand together,” she said. Mr Sait said the party decided to field a Brahmin woman to demolish the myth that the IUML had no ties with forward caste Hindus. Likewise, in Beemapally where there have been recurrent tensions between Muslims and Christians, Ms Joseph is contesting on the IUML’s famous “ladder” symbol. A clash in the area in May 2009 had triggered a police firing in which six Muslim youth had died.
“We want to prove that Christians and Muslims are living peacefully here unlike what the CPI(M)-led government claims,” said the IUML leader.
Ms Thangamani, a former CPI(M) worker, has also started campaigning in Poongulam and said that she had no problems contesting on an IUML symbol.
It may be recalled that the IUML had also recently convened a conference of Muslim organisations to denounce and isolate extremist elements after activists of the radical Popular Front of India attacked a college lecturer.