By Tanvir Salim,
During the last assembly elections, one of the reasons for the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) coming to power was the shifting of the Muslims votes in its favor. Today when the elections to the Lok Sabha are fast approaching, the Muslim votes are up for grabs again.
If SP had not the betrayed the mandate gave by the Muslims in the Assembly elections, then they were the natural choice for the Muslims, and could have reaped the dividends, in the Lok Sabha polls also. But since then much water has flowed in the rivers, which run across the state of Uttar Pradesh, and the water in these rivers is getting murky. Some even see traces of blood in this water, and some of the fault for this to happen goes to the ruling SP. They have nobody else, but themselves, to be blamed for the disarray that has been created in the state.
For the Muslim voters, there is good news and the bad news. The good news is that they are clever, and they vote where their heart and mind is, but the bad news is that they will not see too many choices in 2014, when they will go out to press the buttons on the Electronic Voting Machines.
Of all the choices available to them, the Bhartiya Janata Party is not even in the race for the Muslim votes. The major challenge to the SP will emanate from BahujanSamaj Party (BSP), which in spite of being at the receiving end in the assembly elections, was able to retain its core constituents. It is worth mentioning that since there was not much difference in the votes obtained by the BSP and SP, the Muslims votes which went to SP, were the main reason for the SP’s victory.
So it is true that Muslims played the role of the King Makers, but it is also a known fact that they never can be the King themselves. Lack of a “tall” Muslim leader is not something that happens by itself, it is due to the sinister design by the political parties, who are eager for the Muslim votes, but when it comes to share the spoils of the power, they keep the bulk of the share for themselves. Any Muslim leader who is in a position to ask for “more”, is kept in the sidelines and has to content himself with insignificant positions in the food chain. A Muslim leader with mass following who can stand on his own is despised by the political parties, but this topic can be a part of another discussion elsewhere.
There are Muslim dominated outfits or “shops” that mushroom during the elections in a quest to capture the Muslim emotions, but their “shelf life” or longevity is questionable. There is no dearth of such organizations in Uttar Pradesh, but they are not able to seize on the momentum that is generated by the anger that resides in the Muslim masses. The prime example of these parties is the Peace Party and the Rashtriya Ulema Council.
In the past Muslims had put their weight behind SP and BSP, but these parties squandered the mandate and showered their generosity to their core constituents, for SP it was Yadavs, and for BSP it was a section of the Dalits. Muslims were simply taken for a ride.
If we keep aside the regional parties, then Congress Party is the only party with national presence which can come to the expectations of the Muslim masses. But so far Congress party has not shown the resolve which can make deep inroads into the heart and mind of these voters. The trust deficit stems from the ugliness that got engrained after the tragic demolition of the Babri Masjid.
The recent incidents of unlawful detention of the Muslim youths and hanging of the Muslim terrorists, by missionary zeal raise more questions, than answers the ones those that were there before. Setting up study groups or committees, are steps in the right direction but putting these findings on the back burner puts a question mark on the spirit which was behind setting up these committees.
There is still a chance for the Congress party. They have to introspect, and have to make a fresh start, but the turbulence brewing in the party itself is the great obstacle that may not make it happen. Either the Muslim leadership in the party is out of touch with their constituents, or they stand on such shaky foundations that they can’t dare to speak their mind on Muslim issues. As a result, other non-Muslim leaders in the party venture out to take the case of the Muslim masses. Leaders like Salman Khursheed could have taken the challenge, but since they lack mass following, they can’t get their hands dirty in meddling in Muslim issues. They are more concerned about securing a position of influence for themselves.
(Tanvir Salim was a Nuclear Engineer in USA, presently residing in India.)