Yet another Member of Parliament of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has come under severe criticism for missing a crucial session regarding the Triple Talaq bill, in the Upper House of Parliament. The absence of PV Abdul Wahab, who represents the party in the Rajya Sabha, during the discussions of the Triple Talaq bill on July 30 has angered a section of the IUML, with some of them going to the extent of demanding his resignation.
Leading the angry voices from within the party is the national vice-president of Youth League, Sayed Moeen Ali Thangal, who, according to reports, feels that the absence of Wahab is an issue that has far-reaching consequences for the Muslim community in India.
According to a report by The New Indian Express (TNIE), Moeen Thangal, the son of IUML state president Hyderali Shihab Thangal, has asked Abdul Wahab to resign from his post as Rajya Sabha MP if he is busy with other engagements. He was quoted to have said that, “It was saddening that he was not present in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on Triple Talaq Bill. Such incidents are an insult to the party cadre.” He went on to add that there are many other capable leaders in the IUML who can represent the party in Rajya Sabha.
This was not the first time that an IUML MP is facing the wrath of the party members. According to a report by the Times of India (ToI), both Abdul Wahab and Lok Sabha MP PK Kunhalikutty, could not cast their vote in the vice-president elections of the party as their flight was delayed in August 2017. Followed by this, another similar occasion arose in December 2018 when Kunhalikutty failed to attend the Lok Sabha session while the House discussed the Triple Talaq bill.