The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has described the January 22 inauguration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya as an election ploy of the BJP, and cautioned the people against falling prey to it.
The party accused the BJP of using Ram Mandir and people’s religious sentiments for its political gains.
A meeting of the IUML national political advisory committee held at chairman Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal’s house at Panakkad, near here, on Friday, however, chose a diplomatic line about the Congress leaders attending the temple consecration ceremony at Ayodhya.
Briefing the media after the meeting, IUML national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty said that the party would neither comment on the stand adopted by other parties about Ram Mandir nor advise them what to do. He said the Congress leadership would take its stand after analysing issues at national level. “We don’t have to comment about the Congress stand.”
However, he cautioned people against the attempts by the BJP to politicise the Ram Mandir consecration.
Mr. Thangal said that the IUML valued and respected the people’s religious faiths. He said every place of worship is sacred, and his party would hold it with respect. “But the BJP is turning the temple consecration into a political agenda. It is their election ploy. We cannot agree with that,” he said.
Mr. Thangal called upon secular parties to realise the BJP agenda and to respond to it with prudence. He said secular parties should remain united in politically handling the situation created by the BJP. Religious faiths should not be used for political gains, he said. “People’s issues like hunger and joblessness should be the focus of political dialogues, and not a sensitive matter like Ram Mandir,” he said.
Mr. Thangal presided over the meeting. Several leaders, including national president K.M. Kader Mohideen, attended the meeting in online mode.
The others who attended the meeting were IUML national organising secretary E.T. Mohammed Basheer, MP; treasurer P.V. Abdul Wahab, MP; senior national vice president Abdussamad Samadani, MP; national secretaries Khurram Anees Umer, Naeem Akhtar, Dastagir Aga, Navas Ghani, MP, and M.K. Muneer, MLA; and State general secretary P.M.A. Salam.
