The scenes of members of IUML waving ‘green’ party flags during the roadshow of Rahul Gandhi ahead of his nomination to contest elections from a non-Hindu majority constituency of Wayanad indicate an emerging picture of the so-called ‘secularism’ prevailing in this country.

A huge number of Muslim League (IUML) flags were witnessed at Wayanad last week at the Congress President’s roadshow. Videos have been circulating on social media where scores IUML flags. The Congress party is in alliance with Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) which in turn is tied up with Jammat-e-Islami and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), both accused by National Investigation Agency (NIA) of spreading radicalism in Kerala.

During Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Wayanad to file his nomination, IUML members took rallies out abusing Narendra Modi as well. In this particular video, IUML members can be heard shouting “S*ala K*tta Narendra Modi”.

“Sala kutta Narendra Modi”. This is @RahulGandhi’s politics of love.pic.twitter.com/1YF5EGmMy3 — Chowkidar Spaminder Bharti (@attomeybharti) April 5, 2019

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which claims to be born after Indian Independence in 1948, is actually an off-shoot of Pakistan founder and Islamist Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s All India Muslim League (AIML). The All India Muslim League was succeeded by the Muslim League in Pakistan and the Indian Union Muslim League in India. In its website, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) claims that its motto is secularism and communal harmony but has often openly indulged in carrying out those objectives which are contrary to its own motto.

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The Muslim League had strongly advocated for the establishment of a separate Muslim-majority nation-state, Pakistan successfully led to the partition of British India in 1947 by the British Empire. The birth of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in December 1947 was a part of that intention to keep these spirit of the All India Muslim League.

Muhammad Ismail, the first President of the Indian Union Muslim League after it split up from the Jinnah’s Muslim League, had actively participated in the partition movement of the country and was an ardent supporter of the creation of Pakistan. Interestingly, Muhammad Ismail, who claimed IUML was a secular outfit had, in fact, supported the retaining of Sharia law for Indian Muslims in the Constituent Assembly after India’s independence.

Mohammad Ismail, the founder President of IUML, the first political party of Muslims in the new state of India even bargained with Congress to “recognise the League as the sole representative of Muslims”, similar to the policies of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who had always asserted he and his party AIML was the sole representative of the Muslims in undivided India.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the so-called ‘epitome’ of India’s pluralism, whose Congress had once rejected the proposal of Jinnah in 1937 for a coalition government with the Muslim League, joined hands with the IUML in Kerala post-independence. The opportunistic design of Congress further encouraged political Islamists like IUML to resort to more communal politics in the name of protecting the interests of Muslims in the country.

According to Historian TrueIndology, IUML was formed on the advice of Jinnah just before he left the country post partition. In fact, Jinnah had even said that “There must be a Muslim league in Hindustan”. The AIML had also observed that the protection of minorities in India depended upon the strength of Pakistan and had promised that they “would do all to protect them”.

IUML was formed on the advice of Jinnah just before he left. Jinnah said “There must be a Muslim league in Hindustan” pic.twitter.com/IofPwcyEPd — True Indology (@TrueIndology) February 13, 2017

The Indian Union Muslim League has been notoriously known for flaring up communal incidents in the state of Kerala. The party was found involved in the planning as well as the execution of the brutal Marad massacre in Kerala in 2003 as per the report of Justice Thomas P Joseph Commission which was set up to investigate the incident. The report had declared the massacre as “a clear communal conspiracy, with Muslim fundamentalist and terrorist organisations involved”.

Further, in 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a fresh First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the probe and had named Indian Union Muslim League leaders P.P. Moideen Koya and Moyeen Haji as an accused of funding, conspiring and executing the riots.

Rahul Gandhi, with his decision to join hands with Islamist organisations to secure his victory from a Hindu minority seat of Wayanad, was not only an indication of him being fearful of defeat at the hands of Union Minister Smriti Irani but also to deliver a political message to the minorities of the country, especially the Muslims and Islamist organisations, that Congress always favours a non-Hindu majority system for its electoral success.

The total Christian-Muslim vote is more than 50% in the Wayanad constituency. With nearly 29% Muslims, 21% Christians and around 8% Adivasis in the constituency, Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s prospects to secure a victory in a Hindu minority constituency are much higher than in Amethi against Smriti Irani, where Hindus are in majority.

Rahul Gandhi has also made a civilisational point by choosing to contest from Wayanad as a “safe seat” because he believes that an area with a minority dominance will not only keep their family business running but also keep majority Hindus in check. With Rahul Gandhi seeking to mainstream Islamist parties, the so-called ‘secular’ politics in India will further get a dangerous facelift as political Islam which has often shown its contempt against the Hindus will now be intertwined with the nation’s political system.