P K Kunhalikutty has more roles now

KOZHIKODE: The consummate win in Malappuram by-election is another feather on the cap of Mr P.K. Kunhalikutty, the organization man, chief fund-raiser and arguably the most visible secular face of the party. Mr Kunhalikutty follows in the footsteps of the late G M Banatwalla, Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait and E Ahmed. But none of them had their pulse on the Muslim heart as does Mr Kunhalikutty. The Lok Sabha membership gives Mr Kunhalikutty greater latitude at the national level now that even the fringe formations like PDP, SDPI and Welfare Party have indirectly conceded that Muslim League is the mainstream representative of the community. They had shied away from putting up candidates.

The League also benefited by the minority panic following the UP tsunami of the BJP.   It is at this most opportune moment that Mr Kunhalikutty steps on to national politics, though without forsaking his hold in the State’s politics. His national profile will add to his organizational clout. Parliament colleagues E T Mohammed Basheer and P V Abdul Wahab, seldom on the same page as him, will have to accept his leadership. Low-key profile Thangals have been best suited for the likes of Mr Kunhalikutty, who benefit from their reluctance to occupy centre-stage.  Mr Kunhalikutty debuted through Muslim Students Federation and was elected MLA six times from Malappuram, Kuttipuram and Vengara seats and was a minister four times.

The 66-yearold is noted for his diplomatic but assertive stance, especially within the UDF. Generally, he doesn’t say ‘No’ to a request for help and doesn’t ‘No” for an anwser. For UDF, he has been a peacemaker. He does not suffer from a hardcore religion tag though he still belongs to the group of Muslim leaders, who would not light a lamp at ceremonies as if it is un-Islamic. “Definitely as an MP, his priority is to represent Malappuram. Upholding secular ethos in the flood of saffron politics will be his forte,” said League general secretary K.P.A Majeed.

Mr Kunhalikutty enjoys special equations with rival political leaders, especially Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The duo was known for tactical tie-ups in local council elections in Malabar. It was in 2005 that Mr Kunhalikutty’s fortunes nose-dived, as he was caught in the notorious ice cream parlour scandal. Both Mr Kunhalikutty and League were on a bind; he had to step down as Industry minister and lost the Assembly election in Kuttipuram in 2006. The second part of the ice cream parlour case surfaced in 2011 when relative Abdul Rauf accused Mr Kunhalikutty of bribing three HC judges to get a favourable verdict. But Mr Rauf suffered from a credibility crisis, benefiting Mr Kunhalikutty. Over to New Delhi for now.