The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Friday said that although it has the right to the post of deputy chief minister in the UDF government, it will not demand it.
“IUML has had a deputy chief minister in the past and deserves this position. But we are not demanding this position at the moment. In the past, we had CH Muhammad Koya and K Avukader Kutty Naha of IUML becoming deputy chief ministers. At present, we will not negotiate for this position,” said Munavfar Ali Shihab Thangal, secretary, national committee of IUML.
The statement came a day after voters in Kerala went to the polls to elect a new government in the state. The Congress and IUC, part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) arrangement in the state, claimed that they would win more than 100 seats in the 140-seat assembly.
PK Kunhalikutty, veteran leader of the local media union, also told that although his party deserves the position, it will not put pressure on the Congress while making this claim.
He also said that the party had rejected the post when it was offered by Congress’s Oommen Chandy between 2011 and 2016, keeping in mind the social dynamics of the time.
The IUC, which has one of the best rates of electoral strikes in the state and is known for its superior organizational presence and support among Muslims, has often been reluctant to make a tough claim for the deputy chief minister’s post to prevent falling into the trap of the Left parties’ and BJP’s rhetoric that it controls the United Democratic Front alliance rather than the Congress. She fears such a narrative would upset the socio-religious dynamics in Kerala and hamper the political prospects of the UDF in the state.
