Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stroked fresh controversy on Friday with his "Muslim League is a completely secular party," remark in Washington DC, during an interaction at the National Press Club in Washington. The comments by Rahul has once again come under scrutiny back home in India with the ruling BJP coming down heavily on Rahul for his comments. So why has Rahul calling the (Indian Union) Muslim League "secular" turned into a political slugfest? A look into the history of the Muslim League and its present political standing puts light on the issue.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is a political outfit based in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
The IUML came into existence in 1948
The IUML came into existence after its founder Muhammad Ismail led the breakaway faction which emerged from the All India Muslim League (AIML) in 1948, shortly after independence. Muhammad Ismail, who was also called as the Qaid-e-Millat (leader of the nation) by his supporters, was a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian Parliament) from 1952 to 1958.
He also served as an MP in the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian Parliament) as he was elected from Kerala thrice. Muhammad Ismail was from Tamil Nadu who had entered public life during the struggle for independence in 1920s. Him being a native of Tamil Nadu also explains the party's presence in the state.
Influence in the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu
One of the reasons for the BJP attacking Rahul for his comments on the Muslim League is also because the IUML has been a long-time ally of the Congress party in Kerala. In fact, Rahul's remark came as a response to a question on Congress' alliance with the Muslim League in Kerala.
Current standing of the IUML in India's political landscape
The IUML party is currently led by the party president KM Kader Mohideen. The party has four members (MPs) in the Lok Sabha, one in the Rajya Sabha and 15 members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) in the 140-member house of Kerala.
The IUML is often attacked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an attempt to highlight Congress alliance with it in Kerala, a state that the BJP has not been able to find a foothold in. Rahul's comments were followed by a slew of reactions from the BJP spokespersons and members on Twitter.
BJP's KJ Alphons was scathing in his attack on Rahul for the Congress leader calling the IUML "completely secular." The BJP spokerperson said, "Indian Union Muslim League - it obviously means that it is a party only for the Muslims, there are no Hindus or Christians..."
However, Congress was quick to counter BJP's tweets against Rahul over the IUML comments. Congress media head Pawan Khera replied to the BJP's tweet.
In 2019, after Congress won from the Wayanad seat, it was alleged by some Twitter users that "Pakistan flags" were raised in Rahul's public event. However, it later turned out that the flags were IUML party flags and the distortion was attributed to a lack of knowledge required to distinguish between the IUML and Pakistan flag. In fact, getting its crescent moon flag compared to the Pakistan flag has been a misunderstanding that the IUML has had to deal with for a long time.
In the year 2019, UP CM Yogi Adityanath had called the Muslim League "a virus," in one of his tweets. The UP CM had also equated the IUML with the Muslim League of the pre-Independence India which had played a role in the partition of the country. The IUML had also approached the Election Commission over Yogi's tweet then. Apart from getting its flag equated with Pakistan, its comparison with the pre-independence Muslim League is another perception battle it fights. Though the IUML has been involved in several controversies like criticism for disbanding its women's wing and its open condemnation of the LGBTQ community, there is little to suggest that the party is communal or not secular.
Rahul Gandhi had decided to contest from Kerala's Wayanad seat along with contesting from Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Rahul managed to reach the Lok Sabha thanks to his win in Wayanad after the party lost its traditional Amethi seat to BJP's Smriti Irani. Rahul currently stands disqualified as an MP from Wayanad after the Surat trial court convicted him in a criminal defamation case.
