A scuffle broke out at a convention of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) here on Sunday when a group of Muslim Youth League (MYL) workers blocked the way of K.P.A. Majeed, general secretary of the party State unit, demanding that the party come to the aid of its workers booked in an attempt-to-murder case.
Mr. Majeed was leaving the venue, Jawahar Library hall, of the district parliamentary constituency convention of the Muslim League. Party State president Panakkad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal and Social Welfare Minister M.K. Muneer were with him.
The MYL workers demanded that the party use its influence to take action against M.A. Mathew, Circle Inspector of Police, Alakkode, alleging that he had filed a false case against the workers in connection with the attempt on the life of a worker of the Kanthapuram faction of Sunni Muslims in September.
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Union Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who was speaking at the convention, pleaded with the workers to maintain calm and discontinued his speech.
Later, a section of workers succeeded in taking the agitators out of the hall, but the ruckus continued outside. K.M. Shaji, MLA, who arrived on the scene, intervened and tried to calm down the protesters.
Owning moral responsibility for the insult meted out to the leaders of the party, Abdurrahiman Kallayi, general secretary of the League district unit, expressed willingness to resign. But the audience insisted that he continue, raising slogans. They demanded that action be taken against those who created the unrest.
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Party district unit president K.M. Soopi said Mr. Kallayi would continue in the post, and calm was restored.
The convention resumed later, and Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty who reached the venue after a while said the demand of the MYL workers would be discussed. The party did not encourage such internal conflicts, he added.