Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national chairman and spiritual leader Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal passed away at a private hospital in Angamalli, Ernakulam on Sunday. He was 74.
His body will be buried at a family burial ground in Pannakkad, Mallapuram district on Monday, one of his relatives said.
“Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, Kerala State President of IUML & a beloved spiritual leader, has passed away. My condolences to his family & followers. He was a strong secular voice of the UDF, supporting brotherhood, respect & progress for all. He will be dearly missed,” Gandhi said on Twitter.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Thangal had been a “gentle presence” in the state’s politics as the president of the Malappuram and state units of the Muslim League.
“He always stood for communal harmony. Besides politics, he headed many educational, religious and charity organisations in the state. His approach emphasised secular ideals, and despite political differences, he maintained cordial personal relations,” the chief minister said.
“Kerala lost a tall leader,” said Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan.
Senior Congress leader and former leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said he was deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Thangal.
{{/usCountry}}Senior Congress leader and former leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said he was deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Thangal.
{{/usCountry}}“He was an extremely humble person, I had close interaction with him for the past few years. It’s a personal loss for me,” the former Union minister said in a tweet.
Former Defence Minister AK Antony said, “His demise is really painful. Panakkad family stood firmly to support brotherhood and amity in society.”
A tall and affable leader, Thangal stood for secular values and exhorted community members that education is the prime mover for the development of the community and batted for communal amity and brotherhood in the state.
He was serving as the chairman of the IUML National Political Advisory Committee and the president of the IUML Kerala State Committee since 2009.
Thangal was an integral part of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), and senior leaders rushed to him when problems plagued the coalition. League is one of the oldest and trusted allies of the Congress, and its late leader E Ahmed was a junior minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet twice.