2009 Poll Prospects And Alignments-2

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Fascist threat looms large: IUML</b>

Staff Reporter

MALAPPURAM: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has chalked out a long-term campaign aimed at parrying ‘the clear and present fascist threat’ in the wake of the withdrawal of support to the Congress-led coalition government at the Centre by the Left parties.

The party State committee, which met at Manjeri on Monday, entrusted senior leaders with the task of carrying out the campaign at different levels.

“The danger of the fascists returning to power is looming large. And that is the biggest threat the country faces now,” said IUML State general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty here on Tuesday. He said the Left had cleared the ground for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to stage a comeback by withdrawing support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

He said the Left’s withdrawal of support and projection of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati was an act of drama staged as part of a pre-election alliance struck between the CPI(M) and the BJP. “The CPI(M) has ignored the bigger danger at the threshold by magnifying a distant possible danger,” he said referring to the Left’s stand on the

Indo-American nuclear deal.

He said the theme of the IUML campaign would be ‘the politics of the 15th Lok Sabha.’ “We will expose the Left and the organisations that support it in the Indo-U.S. nuclear issue,” he said.

The party would hold a national convention in Kozhikode on August 27 to explain the politics of the 15th Lok Sabha, elections which will be held in less than a year. Several national leaders of the party would attend the meet.

Mass conclaves would be held at all district headquarters in the State on August 22 evening to press the Muslim League’s demand for withdrawal of the controversial Class 7 social sciences textbook.

The respective district committees of the party would organise the agitation.

The Muslim League would try to ensure participation of other parties and leaders who supported the agitation against the textbook.

The party would hold conventions in all districts except Malappuram on August 11. The convention in Malappuram was already held.

Former Minister M.K. Muneer would inaugurate the conventions at Kasaragod and Kannur.