Session 12: Various Shades of Green - Conflicting Ideologies of the AIML

The word ‘Politics’ very often has a negative connotation attached to it, and therefore so do Political Parties. They are defined broadly in theory as organised groups of individuals with roughly similar political aims and opinions that seek to influence public policy by getting their candidates elected, however there are various forms of political parties that exist in reality. Otto Kirchheimer’s idea of ‘catch-all’ parties is one of the most often used ideas structuring the contemporary understanding of political parties due to its relevance to the 21^st century. Catch-all parties can be identified by their pursuit of votes at the expense of ideology, their often inconsistent party platforms designed to appeal to wide audiences and their elite-driven organisational style.

Even though traditionally, it is said that catch-all parties have become increasingly popular in recent times and the term ‘catch-all party’ was coined as late as 1966, the emergence of these parties can be seen since the early 20^th century and I believe the All-India Muslim league fits perfectly in the foundation that was laid down by the term. The AIML, a political party adamant on the creation of a separate Muslim majority state, can be said to have ‘bluffed’ all of its supporters due its propagation of various ideologies to gain mass support.

The party was initially against populist politics and repulsed by the political activities of parties headed by Muslim ‘ulema’. However, the circumstances of the 1946 elections saw the League run a highly populist campaign. The party used different ideologies to attract different audiences, and it succeeded in doing so as after the elections, it emerged as the leading Muslim party in India.

Many of the League’s leaders publicly supported the AIML’s communist ideology and stated that they stood for equality in the Muslim ranks while this seemed to clash with the system of power under which they themselves were operating. Jinnah himself propagated the communist ideology while rallied support from the landlords at the same time.

These conflicting beliefs that were publicized among different audiences to gain support from them show that the league was willing to compromise their ideology in return for votes and since it had inconsistent stances, the party can be classified as a catch-all party. The fact that it manipulated the people to gain votes, as do most modern parties, can be seen as one of the many reasons people may associate a negative image with political parties.