The party's two-day working committee, here last week, saw a heated discussion on the issue, though majority of the members opposed any such moves asserting hasty steps would only harm the party's interests.

It appears that a powerful section in the party leadership is willing to consider abandoning the name Muslim League if it would help them get into the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala. But equally forceful are the views of the opposing group, which argues that there is no surety the LDF or the CPM would be willing to change its current policies towards League only because of a change in nomenclature.

They recall the bitter experience of Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait who formed the Indian National League with encouragements from CPM general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet, but failed to makeit to the LDF despite positive signals from CPM topbrass.

The League leadership is convinced that the United Democratic Front is unlikely to escape itself from the deep abyss it has fallen into and looks for a solution on their own. But there is no clarity on how to proceed as proved by the debates at the working committee.

When Cherkalam Abdulla and Ahammed Kutty Unnikulam, two members who are known to be close to the present leadership, brought up the issue of changing the Muslim League name, it immediately invited sharp reaction from other members like Nalakath Sooppy, chairman of the Minorities Front, Ishaq Kurikkal, KPA Majeed and others.

But the party leadership was willing to allow the discussion, and even P K Kunhalikkutty, party leader in Kerala Assembly, intervened to say there was no harm in the debate.

The suggestion that came up from the pro-changers was to keep the Muslim League as a social organisation for the uplift of the minority community, while for a political platform, they musthave a new name which would help the party have a secular image while focussing on minority interests.

This section was of the view that the Muslim League identification with the Muslim community would isolate the party as the secular sections would find it difficult to work with them, hurting the genuine minority interests. They felt it was necessary to join hands with the LDF and other secular groups at any cost, especially with the ascendancy of Hindu communal forces.

One of the firm voices from the leadership, opposing the line of argument, came from E Ahamed, MP, IUML national secretary, who felt it would be premature to go for any hasty and drastic steps. The youth and student leaders like M K Muneer also shared the same perspective as they pointed out that so long as the CPM retained its policy of no alliance with Muslim League dubbing the party as communal, there was no meaning in any such move at all. ``Let us see what the CPM has to say about the minorities after their Calcutta congress,'' wastheir argument.

At the end of the debate, the majority view was accepted by all as the party decided not to take any further step in the matter at this moment and wait for another occasion to think about its future strategy.

Shihab Thangal, state president, in his concluding remarks, was more assertive than usual when he said there was no question of the League going for any change in its name or identity at this point of time. The party would continue its current policy of alliance with the Congress-led Front in Kerala even as it would work for a national secular platform to fight the fascist threat.

But the debate seems to be far from over as sections in the leadership believe that the League could retain its hold in Kerala politics only through a new alignment with the Left and secular forces.