The IUML, which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once boasted of as a 'secular party', has described itself as "a political entity dedicated to safeguarding Muslim rights" in its petition filed before the Supreme Court.
Incidentally, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had back in 2001, taken a holy dip at the Kumbh Mela in 2001, when her Indianness was rightly being questioned, however, years after a long political career, Gandhi was neither seen at the 2007 Kumbh nor at the once-in-a-century Mahakumbh 2025.
While CPI(M) said Congress did not use its flags in Gandhi's roadshow because it was afraid of the BJP, the historic duplicity of the party suggest it may have to do with Muslim appeasement.
IUML’s state general secretary PMA Salam said, "Friday is Jumu'ah, a day when Muslims gather in mosques. It would be difficult to vote on this day in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We have brought this to the attention of the Election Commission."
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year, both Congress and the communists seem to be competing to woo the Islamic extremist outfit, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), in Kerala.