Muslim League firm on stand on Ayodhya; the Congress must take cues from it

The IUML had late last year restated its closeness to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the State and the messaging on Ayodhya from the January 21 rally was loud and clear.

A massive rally taken out by the Muslim Youth League (MYL) on the Kozhikode beach on Sunday evening, “against the politics of hatred”, turned out to be a platform for the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to avow its stand vis-à-vis the Ram Temple consecration at Ayodhya and the socio-political fanfare around it.

Without mincing words, the IUML reiterated that the Ayodhya consecration and the celebration of Ram by the BJP and its ancillaries were politically motivated and dangerous for the country. Reminding the people that the Ram Temple had been built at Ayodhya after razing the Babri Masjid, the Muslim League warned that the BJP would finish off India’s secular stature if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is given one more chance.

Even while unequivocally condemning the politicisation of Ayodhya consecration, IUML State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal and national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty made it clear that the Muslim League’s respect is always proffered to the Hindu faith and its deities.

“We are not against Ram or Ram Mandir. We respect Ram, the legend who stood for humanity. We respect the Ram delineated in the Adhyatma Ramayana penned by Ezhuthachan. But we are against the political Ram being postulated by the BJP for its gains,” said the IUML leaders.

The no-nonsense bold stance taken by the Muslim League, on the eve of the Ayodhya consecration, has been viewed as the party’s ideological dauntlessness. By reminding the people of the criminal demolition of the Babri Masjid and going one step ahead of the Congress in condemning the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, the Muslim League has thrown open an unseen window to potential political alignments of tomorrow.

The League’s rallies conducted against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the ongoing Israeli attack on Palestine, held on the Kozhikode beach, had the IUML exert its might and influence within Kerala’s Muslim community. That was perhaps why Mr. Kunhalikutty mentioned it once again on Sunday that his party would not be cowed down by any threats and that rooting out the BJP in the upcoming elections was “an absolute must”.

The IUML had late last year restated its closeness to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the State and the messaging on Ayodhya from the January 21 rally was loud and clear.