Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

people were the most manifest. After the establishment of the tile factory in Parakkadavu,
the Communists organized an effective Trade Union there, which was able to negotiate
with the owner and take over the factory as the original concern was running at a loss and
the owner was threatening to close it down. Still, the factory is being run under the
management of the workers.
Emergence of Muslim Politics
Two factors played a significant role in the decision making of the majority Muslim
population. The first was the formation of the Muslim League in 1937. It has been argued
that the Muslim league was the natural continuation of the Muslim aikya sangham,
particularly as K.M.Seethisaheb and K.M.Moulavi who were involved in the formation of
the Aikya sangham were involved in founding Muslim League also However, the more
interesting feature is the involvement of a number of elite Muslims who were not
involved in the Aikya sangham , such as Arakkal Sulaiman Ali raja, who was the
founding president, C.P.Cheriyamammukeyi and Sattar Sait. The exact circumstances
which led them to decide on a political organization for the Muslims are yet to be
investigated. It is clear that the original founders of the Muslim League were those who
were not in favour of the Congress movement from the very beginning or were people
who had been earlier with the Congress and later became inactive. It should also be noted
that the Muslim league came into being when the Congress, along with its right and left-
wing factions had substantially increased their popular influence, and a leader, like
Abdurrahman, as noted earlier, was becoming extremely popular. There was a possibility
that the Muslim population would be won over by the Nationalists and radicals, which
the Muslim elite did not want. .There was a second possible reason. The ambivalent
attitude of the Congress towards the Malabar rebellion, and their ineptitude in intervening
in the relief and rehabilitation work in Eranad, had alienated the Muslims from Congress