The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has asked its Ministers in Kerala’s United Democratic Front (UDF) government to proceed cautiously while still supporting coalition policy choices. The instruction comes amid criticism over the party’s position on the Waqf issue, the PM SHRI education scheme and Kerala’s move to reduce taxes on low-alcohol beverages.
The controversy matters because the IUML is both a coalition partner and a key political voice for sections of Kerala’s Muslim community. The party is under pressure to show that it supports UDF policy choices without creating confusion about earlier positions taken on sensitive issues.
Background and earlier position
The sharpest dispute concerns the State Waqf Board. The Kerala government told the Kerala High Court that it would reconstitute the State Waqf Board under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
The High Court is reported to have frozen the functioning of the existing board because the amended law requires a Shia member and two non-Muslim members, and those members were reportedly not present in the board as constituted at the time of the order.
The board challenged the freeze order in the Supreme Court. Muslim organisations have criticised the state government’s stand, and the IUML is trying to manage the political fallout inside the coalition.
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