League denies being soft towards militants

KOZHIKODE: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has dismissed as ridiculous the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s allegation that it is being soft to militant organisations and claimed that it has all along been in the frontline of any anti-militancy campaign.

 

The State working committee of the party, which discussed this charge at its meeting in Kozhikode on Saturday, claimed credit for mobilising the masses against militancy right from the time it began to raise its head in the State.

 

The working committee, in a resolution, accused organisations such as the National Development Front (NDF) of trying to upset the delicate balance achieved by the Muslim League in effectively fighting for the rights of the community without being dubbed as an extremist organisation.

 

``On the other hand, the CPI(M) which has accused the League of being soft to militants had struck unholy alliances with fundamentalist groups for electoral gains.

 

`Hidden agenda'

 

It seems to have a hidden agenda for making this allegation against the League," a resolution adopted by the committee said.

 

League leaders E. Ahamed and P.K. Kunhalikutty also spoke in the same vein while speaking to mediapersons after the meeting.

 

Stir against LDF

 

The committee announced that it would shortly launch an agitation against the rule of the Left Democratic Front Government. The meeting, in a resolution, sought people's support for its agitations.

 

The LDF Government's "failures" in checking price rise and policies that "were certain to reverse the achievements made in the State's education and health sectors" also came in for criticism in the resolution.

 

The League has decided to hold protest marches in panchayats, municipalities and Corporations on February 26 in protest against LDF Government's policies .

 

Though it was the first meeting of the working committee after the party candidate was defeated in the Thiruvambadi Assembly byelection, the committee's resolutions remained silent on it.

 

The defeat of the party in the usually pro-United Democratic Front (UDF) Thiruvambadi constituency was an embarrassment to the Indian Union Muslim League , as it came close on the heels of the debacle of many a party stalwart in the Assembly elections held in the State in May last.