By Wahidul Islam for TwoCircles.net,
Amidst the paranoia and degrading level of politics, Muslims have always been most vulnerable and politically exploited section of the society. Assam is no difference from other parts of India which has largest proportion of Muslim population after Jammu and Kashmir and Lakshadeep. However, most of the Muslims are economically and educationally lagging behind the majority with under-representation in public and private sector. Political representation of Muslims is also very negligible.
Although Muslims of Assam have thousand years of history dating back to 13th century when local tribes chieftain Ali Mes converted to Islam at the invitation of Mohammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1205. Subsequently, Mughal invasion and later British rule had brought many Muslims to Assam as labourers and traders. During the British rule, Muslims from the then East Bengal were brought to work in Assam’s tea gardens and farmland. With time most of these migrated populations assimilated with the local Assamese population and adopted indigenous cultures.
However, post independence era with large influx of Hindu minorities from then East Pakistan in 70s had resulted into Assam agitation against immigration which later turned into mostly Muslim bashing by collectively singling out the community as illegal Bangladeshis. Under the leadership of All Assam Students Union (AASU) leaders like Samujjal Bhattacharya and Sarbananda Sonowal, students’ wing then started to put all its efforts to brand every Muslim as foreigners.
Now as both leaders joined the right wing political party BJP, the saffron brigade has found a well ripen market to sell its divisive agenda by playing fear factor among the majority by alienating the Muslim community as Bangladeshis to grab their vote. On the other hand for decades Congress has treated Muslims as vote bank while turning blind to the upliftment of the community.
Even though Assam has been mostly peaceful state, it has witnessed some of the worst anti-Muslim riots during 1983 in Nellie, and last 2 decades in Bodo dominated areas of Assam. During the Bodoland riots of 2008 and 2012 political leaders from BJP and Media alike had been quick to brand the Muslim victims as illegal Bangladeshis, which was in reality an utter propaganda against the community.
For decades Muslims of Assam have been under represented and thus political and economical rights of the community was undermined, be it Congress government or others. One of the worst examples was the establishment of BTAD in 2003 by the then NDA government created under the sixth schedule of the Constitution of India providing special rights to the Bodo population while ignoring the rights of Muslims that formed a large majority in the region.
Now with BJP government in centre and worsening political and economical condition of Muslims, there is an urgent need to increase political representation of the community to safeguard their rights.
With the emergence of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in 2004 under the leadership of Badruddin Ajmal, community did find much hope and expectations. He is liked by the people of Assam for his work as he not only raises minority issues but also raises issues relating to the interests of Assam and North East. People of Assam will certainly look for AIUDF in the upcoming elections to increase its representation from present 18 MLAs and to emerge as a deciding party for making the government.
Besides, considering the current scenario when saffron brigade has been going to any extent to grab vote by polluting the minds of majority, this is the need of hour to unify the community under one political umbrella.
(Author is an Assistant Sales Manager working with a Perfume company in Kuwait)