IUML aims for young women to lead the party: Jayanthi Rajan
KOZHIKODE: IUML has fielded young women leaders in the local body elections to groom them for future responsibilities, says national assistant secretary Jayanthi Rajan. In a chat with TNIE , she speaks about the partys election strategies and the disputes it saw in some local bodies. Edited excerpts: Has fielding young women leaders in the local body elections boosted IUMLs image? Definitely. IUML has been prioritising womens leadership. We fielded young leaders like Fathima Thahiliya, Najma Thabsheera and Ayisha Banu in the local body elections. The party aims for these young women to lead it in future. IUML is making an effort to provide proper representation to the new generation in grama, block and district panchayats as we mould them for future. What major changes were you able to bring as the first woman member of IUMLs national council? As the national secretary of Womens League and now as the IUML national assistant secretary, I was able to intervene in the organisational system of the League as much as I could. Whether I could bring changes is not for me to say, but for the workers and leaders to assess. However, the League has always given me the space to voice my opinions in consultations and discussions. IUML faced seat sharing disputes in Kozhikode corporation and in Wayanad. Does this indicate a rift between the leadership and party workers? Workers should be people who move forward by keeping organisational interests before personal interests. Like many parties, the League experienced minor disputes during candidate selection. The leaders intervened and resolved what they could. For us, the fact that educated and highly-qualified workers are coming forward as Muslim League candidates is a positive change. What are the major issues raised by IUML in Wayanad? Everything, from rising wild animal attacks, unemployment, building tax hike and regional issues to the failure of the LDF administration is being discussed in the election. In Wayanad, the focus is on the Brahmagiri deposit scam and Wayanad Medical Colleges development woes. Also, LDF failed to coordinate with various voluntary organisations and parties to implement disaster relief work. Even IUMLs own rehabilitation project was delayed by the government.
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