Indian Union Muslim League
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Indian Union Muslim League is a political party in India. The foremost stronghold of the party is northern Kerala, where the party is the leading political force in many areas.
Note that since the name 'Indian Union Muslim League' is registered at the Electoral Commission by a splinter-group of the party, the party contests elections as the 'Muslim League Kerala State Committee'.
History of the party
The party has roots in the Muslim League of Jinnah. IUML was founded on March 10 1948. IUML claims to be the political organization of all Indian Muslims, but only a fraction of the Muslim masses of the country supports the party.
The party participated in the overthrow of the first communist government in Kerala in 1959. In 1960 the party took part in the formation of a coalition government in the state, consisting of the Indian National Congress, Praja Socialist Party and IUML. That government didn't last long. In the elections in Kerala in 1967 the party had entered a united front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The other members of the front were Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Karshaka Thozhilali Party (Peasants and Workers Party), Kerala Socialist Party and Samyukta Socialist Party. Muslim League had two ministers in the state government of that front. In 1969 the party left the CPI(M)-led government and participated in the formation of a new government, led by Communist Party of India leader Achutha Menon as Chief Minister, together with CPI, RSP, KSP and Kerala Congress.
After the 1970 elections Menon became elected Chief Minister for the second time. Members of the governing coalition were Indian National Congress, IUML, RSP and PSP. The Menon government lasted until the downfall of the Indira Gandhi regime in 1977 (no state elections were held in this period). In the chaos that followed the IUML leader C.H. Mohammed Koya held the post of Chief Minister in 1979.
Disintegration ahead of the 1980 elections
When two political fronts, United Democratic Front and Left Democratic Front, crystalized ahead of the 1980 elections two different sections of IUML landed up in opposite camps. A break-away faction, the All India Muslim League joined LDF and the Indian Union Muslim League joined UDF. The two groups reunited in 1985 under the name IUML and as members of UDF.
In 1987 IUML left UDF for a period.
IUML divided - and reunited
After the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in 1992 IUML was split. The Indian National Congress which then held government at centre were considered as co-responsible for the destruction and a faction led all India president Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait wanted to break the political bond with INC but the majority opposed it and rejected his appeal (they were governing Kerala as part of a UDF government). The party expelled the factionalist from its folder and stand firmly for the benefit of community. The Kerala State Committee gained recognition as a "State Party" IUML, the party has roots in outside kerala, especially in Tamilnadu and some other states.
Organizational structure
The party youth wing is called Muslim Youth League and their students wing is called Muslim Students Federation. The Party has a women's political wing too - it is called Muslim Women's League. In Kerala the party has a separate trade union organization, Swatantra Thozhilali Union (S.T.U., Independent Workers Union), and a peasants union, Swathanthra Karshaka Sangam (Independent Peasants Union) and KMCC for Gulf employees.
The party today
The party is today part of the United Progressive Alliance central government and party secretary E. Ahmed is a minister in that government. The president of the party is G.M. Banatwalla.
In Kerala the party is member of the UDF government. in Kerala pary has got four ministers in the ruling UDF. It is the second largest party in the UDF
Except the Kerala branch, the party has some influence in Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu the party is a member of Democratic Progressive Alliance.
In the Lok Sabha elections 2004 the party won two MPs, E. Ahmed from Kerala and K.M. Kader Mohideen from Tamil Nadu (elected as a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate from Vellore).