Indian Union Muslim League | |
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| Abbreviation | I. U. M. L. |
| President | K. M. Kader Mohideen |
| Chairman | Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal |
| Secretary | P. K. Kunhalikutty |
| Rajya Sabha Leader | P. V. Abdul Wahab |
| Lok Sabha Leader | E. T. Muhammed Basheer |
| Founder | M. Muhammad Ismail |
| Founded |
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| Preceded by | AIML |
| Headquarters | Quaid-e-Millath Manzil, No. 36, Maraikayar Lebbai Street, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. [1] |
| Student wing | Muslim Students Federation (msf) |
| Youth wing | Muslim Youth League (Youth League) |
| Women's wing | Muslim Women's League |
| Labour wing | Swatantra Thozhilali Union (STU) |
| Peasant's wing | Swathanthra Karshaka Sangam (SKS) |
| Ideology | Islamic democracy [2] Liberal conservatism [3] |
| Political position | Centre-right [2] to right-wing [4] [5] |
| Alliance | UDF (Kerala) SPA (Tamil Nadu) INDIA (national level) |
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 2 / 245 |
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 3 / 543 |
| Seats in Kerala Legislative Assembly | 15 / 140 |
| Election symbol | |
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| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| iumlkerala | |
Indian Union Muslim League (abbreviated as the IUML or Muslim League) is a Muslim political party primarily based in Kerala. It is recognised as a State Party in Kerala by the Election Commission of India. [6]
Contents
- History
- Early years
- From the 1960s to the 80s
- With the Congress Party
- In the 1990s
- From the 2000s
- National President of Indian Union Muslim League
- Ideology
- Composition
- Organizational structure
- Kerala Legislative Assembly
- Early years (1957–1979/80)
- With the United Democratic Front (1979/80–present)
- Current members
- Electoral performance
- List of Union Ministers
- Members of Parliament
- Lok Sabha Members
- Rajya Sabha Members
- Controversies
- See also
- References
- External links
After the Partition of India and the formation of a separate Muslim country Pakistan by the All-India Muslim League, the All-India Muslim League was formally disbanded in India. In Pakistan The All-India Muslim League was officially succeeded by the Pakistan Muslim League, which eventually split into several political parties. In India, it is officially succeeded by Indian Union Muslim League, of its first council was held on 10 March 1948 at the south Indian city of Madras (now Chennai), as it was not possible to establish another organization in North India due to the agitation surrounding the creation of separate Muslim country Pakistan. [7] The party renamed itself as the 'Indian Union Muslim League' and adopted a new constitution on 1 September 1951. [7]
IUML is a major member of the opposition United Democratic Front, the INC-led pre-poll state level alliance in Kerala. No party other than the Muslim League has been able to win in Muslim-majority constituencies, particularly in Malappuram, and the successful candidate has consistently been a Muslim. By contrast, in constituencies where Muslims are not the majority and Hindus form the majority, Muslim candidates have won elections without any difficulty, such as Shafi Parambil’s victory in the Vadakara constituency. This pattern has been criticised by some commentators as reflecting sectarian and non-secular political behaviour, regarded as a future threat to Indian politics or the nation’s stability. [8] [9] [10] The party has always had a constant, albeit small, presence in the Indian Parliament. [9] The party is a part of the INDIA in national level. [9] The League first gained a ministry (Minister of State for External Affairs) in Indian Government in 2004. [11]
The party currently has five members in Parliament – E. T. Mohammed Basheer, M. P. Abdussamad Samadani and Kani K. Navas in the Lok Sabha and P. V. Abdul Wahab and Adv. Haris Beeran [12] in the Rajya Sabha – and fifteen members in Kerala State Legislative Assembly.
The Muslim League (IUML) is often criticized for taking regressive and extremist communal positions on various issues. The party was linked to the Marad massacre, and a judicial commission that investigated the incident concluded that leaders of the IUML were directly involved in both the conspiracy and the violence. The party has been known for opposing several general policies and reforms in Kerala that are designed to benefit all communities, including Hindus and Christians, including secular education initiatives, the Uniform Civil Code, the Waqf Bill, school uniform policies, Zumba dance programs in schools, and proposed changes to school timings recommended by expert education committees, arguing that altered timings would interfere with madrasa education. Some IUML leaders have also drawn criticism for communal remarks. For example, MLA K. M. Shaji stated that power in the 2026 Lok Sabha elections should be “seized for the Muslim community,” while IUML state secretary Abdurahiman Kallai referred to CPI(M) minister P. A. Mohammed Riyas’s wedding as adultery. [13] [14] [15] [16]
The party is further criticized for exerting control over the Indian National Congress under the pretext of the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance, with critics alleging that it effectively controls Congress’s decisions in Kerala. In the last UDF ministry, the Muslim League demanded five cabinet berths and secured them. Whenever the UDF has come to power, the IUML has consistently demanded and obtained key ministry such as Education and Industries, including the IT department. This has also raised concerns that files relating to national security and intelligence could be accessed by the Muslim League when it comes to power. An intelligence report stated that, prior to the banning of the Popular Front , a significant section of the Muslim League’s student wing, the MSF, was inclined toward the Popular Front and its ideological positions. Some commentators use the analogy that if jihad were a football match, the Muslim League would act as defenders who shield political Islam from criticism, while organizations such as the Popular Front and SDPI would play the role of strikers. [17] [18] [19]
