On Friday, a grand conference was held in Chennai to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), with an impressive turnout of party cadres.
The event was inaugurated by IUML national political affairs committee chairman Panakkad Sadikali Shihab Thangal. The chief guest of the event was Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who expressed his gratitude for the invitation to the conference.
Stalin also acknowledged the contributions of the Muslim community in Tamil Nadu, particularly during his childhood and young age, recalling the support and cooperation given by Muslims. He remembered the famous singer Nagur Hanifa who was with his father and legendary late politician M Karunanidhi and added that “Kalainjar and Anna were brought up by the Muslim community.”
The three concepts of social justice, brotherhood and equality alone had the power to safeguard India, Stalin said.
“Those who want to change India into a country of a single concept — one faith, one language, one culture, one food, one election and one exam — are against social justice,” he said.
The DMK chief also took a swipe at Governor R N Ravi over pending assent to key bills including the one seeking NEET exemption for Tamil Nadu and another one proposing a ban against online rummy.
However, central legislations like the now-scrapped farm laws that “were against farmers” and “the anti-minority CAA” were quickly passed in the Parliament by the BJP government, said Stalin.
Prominent Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani MLA also addressed the gathering of party members.
Earlier on Friday, IUML’s founding day was recreated at Rajaji Hall, commemorating the first meeting of the party’s national council on the same day in 1948. Delegates pledged to overcome the challenges facing the country.
The conference was attended by delegates from many states, and they called for unity among secular parties to preserve the founding ideals of the country. The event also saw the passing of a year-long action plan, which aims to expand the party’s footprint nationally by forming alliances with like-minded parties.
The IUML’s platinum jubilee celebrations began in Royapuram in Chennai with a mass marriage ceremony for 75 couples on Wednesday. The conference was a historic gathering for the IUML and demonstrated the party’s commitment to its founding principles and its desire to play a significant role in the country’s future.
