By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: It’s around mid-night on the eve of the Delhi’s Assembly election; at the famous Batla House Chowk in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, over 500 people are still here braving the cold. The people comprised of three groups – AAP supporters, Congress supporters and curious spectators like me.
The atmosphere was all charged up, as some Congress supporters started shouting slogans against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal. As the matter heats up, even his effigy was burnt. They appeared particularly angry over what they said was insult to the Imam of the Jama Masjid of Delhi.
On February 6, Imam Ahmed Bukhari had hurriedly called a press conference to extend his support to AAP and had appealed to Muslims to vote for a secular government and defeat communal forces. Already, on the back foot, the BJP was quick to accuse AAP of playing the politics of religion that they said they deride. It is a different matter that just two days ago, the BJP had no qualm in welcoming the support of Dera Sachha Sauda.
AAP and Arvind Kejriwal, however, reacted to the allegations saying that need the people’s support and are against the politics of sectarianism and rejected the Imam’s support. However, that did not deter the supporters of the Congress, who had no hesitation in shouting slogans in support of Imam Bukhari and against Arvind Kejriwal. Congress support for Imam Bukhari was intriguing in Okhla for his arch-rival, Shoaib Iqbal, the five times MLA from Matia Mahal constituency, where Jama Masjid falls, has recently joined Congress. In fact, many see his support to AAP to urge locals near Jama Masjid, to vote against Iqbal.
This, however, may very well turn the fate of the Okhla constituency, where till the other day AAP candidate Amanatullah Khan appeared to be giving a tough fight to the sitting MLA and Congress candidate Asif Mohammad Khan, particularly after the rally of Arvind Kejriwal, on February 3 where an estimated 40,000 people are believed to have turned up.
Okhla has traditionally been a Congress bastion and they won the Okhla seat even during the 2008 Assembly election when there appeared to be so strong resentment against the party in the aftermath of the infamous Batla House ‘encounter,’ largely believed to be false by the people here.
In this year’s Delhi’s Assembly election Okhla appears to be one of the most crucial seat, where Congress is struggling hard to remain in relevance, while AAP is hoping to open its account in the Muslim dominated constituency. In the 2013’s spectacular election of debutant AAP, none of their Muslim candidates or in any of the Muslim dominated constituencies they could manage to win. On the other hand, local political pundits are speculating that in the advent of direct fight between AAP’s Amanatullah Khan and Congress’ Asif Mohammad Khan, BJP candidate, Brahm Singh could have the last laugh.
In the 2014 elections, Muslim votes had divided between ‘loyalty’ for the Congress and ‘aspirations’ for change in Delhi that eventually helped the BJP.
It all would depend on how the voters in Madanpur Khadar (comprising of poor and Dalits), besides those in Sarita Vihar (upper middle class Hindus) vote. If AAP (likely) or Congress (unlikely) is able to snatch large chunk of votes, they may taste victory.
However, if Brahm Singh, who fought on the BSP ticket in last two elections, is able to consolidate the Hindu votes under BJP, the vote division of Muslims, who comprise about 60% of the total votes in the constituency could help him clinch the victory. BJP President Amit Shah had himself come to campaign for him in Madanpur Khadar.
The days before the election, meanwhile, saw rumour-mongering and spreading of propaganda in the locality. On behalf of the Congress party, four pages leaflet were distributed outside mosques where RSS scarecrow was used to scare Muslims away from voting for AAP. AAP candidate, on the other hand, spread the rumour that a senior Sufi cleric who was briefly detained about two weeks back was done at the behest of Asif Mohamamd Khan.
In the Hindu pockets, meanwhile, Hindutva leaders have spread the propaganda that the “Okhla seat this time must not be allowed to go to Pakistan,” and that the “two terrorists must be defeated”. The fact that Amanatullah had earlier issued a poster with highly communal remarks, and had helped a Batla House shoot out accused Ziaur Rehman contest last municipal election, have been highlighted by the BJP.
‘Tragedy of most educated Muslim constituency’
Okhla constituency, that comprise of Jamia Nagar, besides pockets of Khijrabad, Sarita Vihar, Madanppur Khadar, etc boasts of being single constituency with most number of educated Muslims, largely due to the central Minority University of Jamia Millia Islamia. However, the sad reality is that even this constituency has not been able to produce good, educated Muslim leadership.
It should be pointed out that Asif Mohammad Khan is a self-styled local heavy weight, who in 2013 joined the Congress. He has several cases against him, and has the backing of local land mafia and builder lobby.
Amantullah Khan is also a local builder and has few cases against him. In past, he contested elections on the Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP. While Asif is class X pass out, Amantullah studied till class XII.
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