By Tameemuddin Humble,
The general election of 2014 provided a great opportunity to the Indian Muslims to introspect and resolve politically what it has not done even after the demolition of Babri Masjid and the Gujarat riots. Political empowerment has never been the regular discourse of the community after the independence. For several decades after independence, the community had been made to feel guilty about the partition though it was largely the fallout of the political maladjustments. It has always been put through the petty issues of its safety and security and never considered an entity for country’s policy matters.
A lot of unexpected political upheavals have taken place in this general election, the community might not have thought of before the commencement of this election particularly the switchover of the candidacy from one’s own party to another, making the ideological affiliation a totally worthless for the candidate to reach the parliament. The general electorates were swayed by the hysterical media which carefully crafted the development image of Narendra Modi and did everything what could be done for him to become the Prime Minister. The RSS fought this election with all its might as if it was their final straw against the Indian pluralism.
After the emergence of AAP with the clout it gathered in Delhi, the dilemma before the Muslim electorate across nation to whom vote for and who was having the sufficient vote base to be supported to defeat the communal candidate or party, came as a big problem. Particularly the way of simplicity of Mr Kejriwal in dealing with the issue of deep rooted corruption and the challenge he put forward before the pillars of power was attracted whole heartedly by everyone. The desperate community, devoid of its political leadership, sympathized with Mr Kejriwal and his party after seeing the secular credentials, it was holding. But the complete leadership the community needs together with the nationwide organizational structure, to solve the problems of specific nature, is absent from AAP.
It was the political will and farsightedness of the secular leadership of the nation that the recommendations of Mandal commission were implemented and the possible backlash from the suppressed communities was contained but that leadership could have also amended the religion-specific definition of ‘Scheduled Caste’, thus making the Muslims remain devoid of their due justice because of its religion. Today we see even the simple representation in central and state legislatures is very below the due proportionate representation, what to speak of the other political offices. The long standing demand to de-reserve constituencies with the substantial Muslim population is not being heard, as it is done away with the SC/ST segments. The recommendations of the dozens of Committees and commissions related to the minorities are lying unheard, but only for the usage of political gimmicks.
During this longest ever televised election campaign, we often came across the unbalanced and extreme views, debates and the deliveries of our political leaders, connoting the speeches as if the partition was held few years back. Would India become the super power by dint of these leaders? Could India undermine the role of minorities and their participation in development process? Doesn’t the minorities’ status in a country show its secular credentials? Can we adopt the policy of exclusive?
We saw several political steps and affirmative actions were taken to upgrade the socio-economic and political status of the suppressed communities but in the case of the Muslims, even a small step of justice is dubbed as appeasement by the party which is now hell-bent to rule this country with a dream of all round development. Actually BJP wants to practice secularism where a particular community, even if it is too suppressed to be upgraded by the general programs of development, should remain what it is in the name of equal justice to all. Can India develop without mainstreaming the Muslim ghettos of our big cities?
The community has strived for its image and development largely by its own resources after independence despite the great odds—the brain drain to Pakistan leaving out those who were uneconomic entity and to face hundreds of riots, the allegation of terrorism and anti-national, looked at with hatred and suspicion, isolated in ghettos branded as red zone for the banking services etc. 65 years of regular socio-economic and political hurdles made the community strong enough to sustain further, how the hostile situation could be in future.
The community needs to grow politically as well, making politics the mission to social service. It has to discourse much on the issues of national interest and development. Mainstreaming of the suppressed communities could only be possible by the strong political will of national parties. India needs a party that could promote moral values besides cleaning the society from corruption. Kejriwal’s vocal and aggressive style should also be seen in raising the moral issues. Without questioning the hedonistic mindset of the society and debating the live-in relationship, we can’t deal with the issue of rape. No party raised the issue that the women of today are being treated as commodity. Merely allocating quota could never change the mindset, a thorough discussion is needed.
Before the AAP phenomena, politics was the fiefdom of some exclusive breed of people but Mr Kejriwal and his team made room also for the people who wants to change the society and system by the very political process. Now some more value-based dimensions should be added to this movement to make India a super power with all its components.
To make this political movement more inclusive and fruitful, we have to approach the politically aware youths from all sections of society. There is a big organized group who wants to divide the society on the basis of caste and religion. The main agenda of this movement should be to build an environment of understanding and reconciliation together with giving the space to the electoral ethics in our political process. As the main victim of this degeneration in polity is the Muslims so this foremost national initiative is needed from the most victimized section of the society. Morally healthy society built with the communal harmony will give the added impetus to the much sought after economic growth of our country, no matter to which party the result goes in favor and rules over India.
(Tameemuddin Humble is the Secretary of Muslim Empowerment Forum)