Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam General Secretary, Vellappally Natesan, has launched a blistering attack on the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), famously dubbing its political stance as one of Kerala’s grandest “secular comedies.”
Writing in “Yoganadam,” the official publication of the SNDP Yogam, under the headline “The Secular Facade of the Muslim League,” Natesan asserted that no other political party in Kerala is as profoundly intertwined with religious ideology as the IUML. He argued that the League’s primary objective is to safeguard Muslim rights, rather than championing the interests of all citizens. Furthermore, he claimed the party still adheres to the principles of the erstwhile All India Muslim League, which played a pivotal role in India’s partition.
“While the IUML has historically, and still does, boast leaders with genuine empathy for others, the secular veneer donned by its younger generation of leaders is superficial, easily washed away by the slightest challenge,” Natesan remarked. He questioned, “How can anyone refrain from laughter when listening to the ‘secular’ rhetoric of League figures such as K.M. Shaji?”
Natesan further alleged a dual identity among certain IUML members, stating that some leaders and workers act as IUML members during the day but affiliate with the Popular Front of India by night. He accused the IUML of engaging in a “secular charade” by strategically nominating a few Scheduled Caste candidates for Assembly elections, leveraging the fact that Muslims are ineligible to contest from reserved constituencies.
According to the SNDP Yogam general secretary, IUML leaders are actively disseminating divisive rhetoric and communal animosity. He pointed to K.M. Shaji’s recent “communal speech” as definitive proof of the Muslim League’s hypocrisy and that of its allies. Natesan lamented that individuals like himself, who dare to highlight the discrimination, oppression, and hardships faced by majority and marginalized communities in Kerala, are unfairly labeled as communalists and anti-social elements.
He further claimed that the IUML’s ultimate goal is to seize political power, with the intention of “recovering ground lost by Muslims over the last nine and a half years and securing additional admissions and positions in both aided and unaided educational institutions.”
Accusations of Double Standards
Natesan reminded that the majority community seems to have overlooked the IUML’s origins in the very region that witnessed the Malabar Rebellion. He cited the conspicuous silence of IUML leaders on various Muslim-centric issues impacting broader Kerala society—ranging from the hijab controversy and Zumba dance debates to adjustments in school timetables—as undeniable evidence of their “double standards.” He asserted, “Those League leaders who label critics highlighting social realities as communalists should acknowledge that they themselves are deeply submerged in a sea of communalism.”
The SNDP Yogam general secretary issued a stark warning, suggesting it wouldn’t be shocking if the Muslim League, whom he called “apostles of opportunistic politics,” were to align with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the near future. He concluded by stating, “The Muslim League, which once famously dismissed Jawaharlal Nehru as a ‘dead horse,’ is now shamelessly attempting to secure the Deputy Chief Minister’s position by exploiting communal sentiments. In Kerala, we clearly see that your ultimate ambition is the establishment of a religious state.”