There is a lot more to the decision to bring back Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader P.K. Kunhalikutty, MP, to State politics than meets the eye.
For quite some time, party sources said, trouble was brewing in the rank and file when hawkish elements began to have a sway over the cadre after the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front assumed power in 2016.
The absence of Mr. Kunhalikutty, who is known for drawing up strategic electoral moves in the State polity, has made a dent in the ideological base of the party. He quit the Assembly to contest successfully from Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency in 2017 after the seat fell vacant upon the death of E. Ahamed. In the Lok Sabha elections last year, he contested from the same constituency and won.
Widening chasm
The chasm between the moderates and extremists in the party began to widen soon after the Supreme Court delivered the final verdict in the Ayodhya dispute in November last. The apex court ordered that the disputed land, where the Babri Masjid had stood before its demolition, be handed over to a trust to build the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. Then came the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which was passed by the Parliament in December last.
Early in July, a section of party leaders publicly advocated a tactical understanding with the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Welfare Party of India for the three-tier local body polls. The voice of the moderates in the IUML was further enfeebled when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the groundbreaking for the Ram temple in Ayodhya in August.
The IUML-backed Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama has taken a critical stand of the party having any electoral understanding with extremist organisations or radical Muslim outfits. However, such caution has not trickled down to the local cadre who are unhappy with the new developments and the resurgent nationalism led by the BJP at the Centre.
Advantages
Senior leaders believe that bringing back Mr. Kunhalikutty, who has been credited with a secular image and is popular among the rank and file, would quell the discontent among the youngsters in the party. It is also a personal gain for Mr. Kunhalikutty to re-enter State politics when the ruling Left government appears to be on a shaky wicket after the gold smuggling case and a series of allegations. However, the local body polls will determine whether his comeback has really put the party on the right track.