Scripting history, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has appointed a Hindu leader to its helm in Kerala as part of an organisational reshuffle. C Shyam, a former CPI(M) member, has been elevated vice-president of the party 16 years after he joined the IUML.
Shyam, who hails from Kerala’s Alappuzha, left the CPI(M) following a factional feud in 2010.
Shyam expressed pride in his new position, stating that he viewed it as a recognition for his 16 years of service. “I am someone who started working at the League's grassroots level and rose to the district and state leadership. I did not join the League out of a desire for any specific post,” he told local media, adding that he continues to be a practising Hindu who visits Guruvayoor temple every month.
“My experience over all these years has been that Muslim League leaders and workers uphold a secular stance. When the Babri Masjid was demolished, it was the Muslim League leaders who took the lead in maintaining peace across the state,” he added.
The appointment of a Hindu upper leader at the helm comes at a crucial time for the party, which is finding itself in a difficult position, having to defend conservative statements made by Muslim clerics. A controversy over remarks attributed to prominent Muslim Sunni scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar on women's participation in public life had put IUML in a fix after it refused to openly condemn the statement. The party found itself under attack from the opposition CPI(M).
Political analysts believe the party elevated Shyam to a leadership position to counter CPI(M)’s attack, considering that he is a former Left leader.
The organisational reshuffle has seen several prominent leaders who held elected or statutory positions within the party give up their party posts in accordance with the 'one person, one post' policy. Ministers K.M. Shaji and N. Shamsudeen have relinquished their positions as state secretaries.
