The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is mulling measures to overcome the party machinery’s failure in achieving the objective set for a unique online fund-raising drive.
Even while the party says that the online fund-raising drive had made a positive impact among the people like never before, the leadership is dissatisfied with the tepid response of the IUML units at the lower level.
Mobile app
It was with much fanfare that the IUML launched its historic online fund-raising campaign named IUML Hadiya at the outset of Ramzan in April. Using a mobile application named IUML Hadiya, anyone could donate any amount to the party and get an instant receipt digitally with a photograph and signature of party State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal.
The IUML made history by becoming the first political party in the country to adopt an online fund-mobilisation drive. “It is historic. No other political party has shown the courage we have displayed. It is 100% transparent. Anyone can examine the app and see the donations made by anyone,” said Abdurahman Randathani, IUML State committee member.
The drive
Although the party launched the campaign as a membership-cum-fund mobilisation drive by setting a target minimum of ₹200 for every party member, the response was cold from the party units in many panchayats.
If every member contributed a minimum ₹200, the party should be mobilising more than ₹30 crore. However, the IUML could raise only ₹8 crore in nearly two months. The campaign, originally intended to wind up by the end of Ramzan, was extended for one more month. Even if the party makes a last-minute push, it is unlikely to cross ₹10 crore when the Hadiya drive closes by May 31.
Disappointment
The party leadership’s disappointment was obvious in the decision not to promote those local leaders who had not contributed and those who had not worked for the Hadiya campaign. Anyone could examine the ward-wise and person-wise details of the contributions.
However, Mr. Randathani chose to play down the failure in achieving the target by highlighting the uniqueness of the online fund-raising drive. “Though we fell short of the target, the result has been much better than the previous fund-raising campaigns,” he said.
According to IUML leaders in charge of the campaign, Malappuram district alone raised nearly half of the funds. Some other districts, particularly Kasaragod, fared poorly in the campaign.
However, the IUML leaders pointed out that the Hadiya drive was made at a time when party’s major charity arm named CH Centre was collecting funds for its year-long relief work.
Crores of rupees was mobilized by the CH Centre units during Ramzan for providing relief to patients across the State, particularly at the Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram; the Government Medical College Hospitals across the State and several other hospitals.
