If the turmoil within the IUML over the selection of party candidate for the recent Rajya Sabha elections is any guide, then the answer to this question is in the affirmative.

What has dismayed the rank and file of the party is the manner in which businessman and IUML secretary, Abdul Wahab, was made the party candidate, ignoring the claims of party general secretary, K. P. A. Majid. Reports have it that although Majid had the support of 12 out of the 14 IUML district committees, his claims were overlooked!

It was also a no-holds-barred tussle between the two dominating groups within the party. While Majid was backed by IUML strongman and Industries Minister, P. K. Kunhalikkutty, Wahab had the support of the faction led by party’s all-India president, E. Ahmed. As efforts for a consensus failed, IUML state president Panakkad Hyder Ali Shihab Thangal was authorized to announce the candidate. Thangal seems to have sprung an unpleasant surprise by giving the nod to Wahab, to the chagrin of majority of district committee chiefs and other powerful party leaders including Kunhalikkutty.

The most disturbing development is the coming into the open of differences within the Thangal family. The word of Panakkad Thangal, the political and spiritual head of the IUML, used to be the law which is unquestioningly obeyed by one and all. But this time around, ironically, a member of the Thangal family itself has chosen to strike a note of dissent.

It was a Facebook Post by Syed Munawwarali Shihab Thangal, son of former IUML chief, late Syed Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal,which triggered the spat. The Post said the party had to face a heavy price in the past for fielding a ‘rich candidate’. True, later, Munawwarali, who represents the younger elements in the party, withdrew the post, but the damage has been done. Pitted against him was another member of the Thangal family, Syed Sadiqali Shihab Thangal, who supported Abdul Wahab.

What seems to have turned the tide in Wahab’s favour was the support of the Malappuram district committee, the most powerful district unit of the IUML, and the financial help extended by Wahab to the party from time to time.

That the selection of Wahab has come as a shock for the rank and file is obvious. Majid had all the credentials for the job, having risen to the general secretary’s post from the ranks. But money power ultimately tilted the scales against him. And that is a development which could have far-reaching impact on the party which prides itself on being a united ‘poor man’s party’!

No wonder, Leader of the Opposition, V. S. Achuthanandan twisted the knife in the ‘wound’ by accusing the IUML leadership of bowing to the corrupt and moneybags, ignoring the claims of genuine party workers and leaders. The developments in the IUML were no surprise as the UDF itself, of which IUML is a part, had been hijacked by moneybags and corrupt, VS alleged.

The selection of Wahab is a big setback to Industries Minister Kunhalikkutty as he could not get his candidate Majid chosen as the party’s RS election candidate. The latest events could also alter the existing power equations within the party, weakening Kunhalikkutty’s iron grip over the party.

True, Munawwarali Thangal has come out with a fresh Facebook Post to clarify his stand. The latest Post said his earlier Post was not aimed at targeting personalities but to highlight a stand on the issue, adding that he respected the decision announced by ‘his beloved uncle, Syed Hyder Ali Shihab Thangal’. He also wished ‘Wahab Sahib’ all the very best in his new role’. But the faultlines have been badly exposed, and it will take a while for the resultant bitterness to evaporate. (IPA Service)