By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net
As Yogi Adityanath completes 100 days in office, Muslims in Uttar Pradesh are still apprehensive about their future. Soon after Yogi Adityanath was announced as CM-designate, media went in a frenzy dishing out stories about Muslims supporting Yogi, praying for him in Gorakhpur, regularly visiting Gorakhnath temple, etc.
On expected lines, a bunch of small-time Muslim leaders sprang up, painting the city with hoardings hailing Yogi. Some of the more enterprising went ahead and erected hoardings supporting Ram Temple. Another group formed Gau Rakshak Dal of Muslims, while cleric Maulana Yasoob Abbas started doing Yoga exercise. Media too went crazy, terming the development as a harbinger of unity and welcome change in Muslim community.
No one dwelled a little underneath about the Muslim community’s feelings. Stereotyped Muslim leaders and clerics have just one thing common in their statement—Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas.
“It happened before my eyes. On 11 March as the results trickled in, hoardings by Muslims started coming up and by evening there were BJP flex boards everywhere in Chhota Imambara complex,” Syed Kazim Zaheer, an Urdu journalist at Lucknow said. Does it signal a good prospect for Muslims? “I lost my job in this government. There is a severe cut on government advertisement for Urdu and small newspapers. Our newspaper had to skim the staff and now I am without job,” he said. A development which went unnoticed. “It is true as I have to limit print version of my newspaper and switch to digital version which is more cost effective,” Asad Rizvi, editor of Subahnama, an Urdu daily said.
Why is Yogi Adityanath different from other BJP leaders in UP
In the past also, Muslims have witnessed BJP government in the state with Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh as Chief Ministers. But the situation this time is different. “All previous CMs of UP had cordial relations with Muslims. Many Muslim leaders in old city of Lucknow still vouch for their association with them. They readily accepted them and rubbed shoulders with them. Now there is no such Muslim face who can flaunt his proximity with CM Yogi Adityanath,” Syed Asif Raza Jafri, political expert in Lucknow said. Further, in earlier times BJP’s face was Atal Bihari who was regarded as moderate and was acceptable among Muslims. Even today, there are households in Lucknow where they have proudly fixed photographs of Vajpayee with them.
Access to Yogi is also limited unlike other previous BJP leaders. The absolute majority (Kalyan Singh also had majority) too has given him upper hand for not negotiating with any group. The image of Yogi is of a fire brand leader and he is known for his speeches delivered in the past without mincing words and raking up Hindutva issue. The thin line which gave room of adjustability has faded away.
Why Muslims are worried
UP has never witnessed a Muslim government as they constitute hardly 18.5% of the population. But in 2012, there was a drift when 68 Muslim MLAs won in the state—highest since independence. For past two decades, Muslims were most sought after community. All non-BJP parties wooed them. Their leaders and clerics had direct access to the highest echelons of power. Tokenism was at its zenith as declaring holiday on urs of Ajmer Dargah, naming medical college and university after Muslim leaders, throwing Iftar parties, rewarding Muslim leaders with government posts, packages of Muslim religious places etc.
In 2017, the myth of Muslim votes was shattered. BJP won with virtually no support of Muslims. Their representation too came down to just 24 . They have realised that in a state where they were chased for their votes now they have become politically redundant. “Everything depends on your state of mind. During SP regime, Mulayam used to say that Musalmano ka seena chauda ho jaata hai. This feeling is over now. Their moral is down with a feeling that they may go unheard in this government,” Shafi Azmi, a former member of State Minority Commission said. Azmi, a resident of Gorakhpur, claims that such feeling is more dangerous than inflicting physical damage during riots.
Yogi Adityanath’s actions :
Starting on a conciliatory note, Muslims were on cloud nine after Yogi extended greetings on the birth anniversary of Hazrat Ali through his Twitter account. But the joy was short lived as there was no such greetings on Ramzan. Holidays were scrapped including on the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad.
Other token actions were on expected lines. Officers were transferred and there is no Muslim bureaucrat posted as DM or SSP. The traditional Iftar party at CM house too has not been held. Discussion is already on whether there will be Eid greetings from CM.
Clampdown on illegal slaughter houses across the state affected the supply of buffalo meat and with one stroke, hundreds of meat sellers from Muslim community had to down their shutters. There is still no reprieve from the shortage since there are no government owned legal slaughter house in Lucknow. “It resulted in making us unemployed. We are on roads. I now ply e-rickshaw for living,” Afzal Qureshi, a former meat seller in Lucknow said. There have been far reaching consequences of this decision. Kanpur’s leather industry which has good number of Muslim businessmen is in dire state due to shortage of raw hides. Fringe groups which remained on sidelines are in the forefront. Their agenda—cow protection, hindutva is now in the mainstream. “When your political existence hardly matters, there is nothing which can be done. Unity among the community, new alignment talks—everything looks good only for discussion and not in reality,” Prof Mohammad Sajjad of Aligarh Muslim University said.
Leadership void among Muslims
Barring oratorical skills of few Muslim leaders, the community hardly saw and leader who took up their cause. Even this tribe is now behind the veil. SP’s Muslim face Azam Khan engaged in defending various allegations about squandering waqf land. Though he issues occasional statements, Rashtriya Ulema Council chief Maulana Amir Rashadi had surrendered before the assembly polls and supported BSP and is presently lying low. Peace Party president Dr Ayub is behind bars on sexual harassment charges while Naseemuddin Siddiqui, the former BSP leader has been shown the door and has formed his own outfit whose success is still under question. Another face Asaduddin Owaisi, the Hyderabad MP and president of All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen, who took the UP by storm during elections is yet to revisit after the polls.
The situation is well explained at ground level. “During SP regime we had a Muslim MLA of SP from our area. He used to stand with us whenever there was any issue related to our community. He has lost and during a recent altercation over a minaret of a mosque, two BJP MLAs came from other community and we had no such leader,” Amir Khan, a local cement dealer in Aligarh said.
With all this, the community is left with no credible voice to raise its issues. Clerics too are lying low with several of them either have met or are seeking time from the chief minister. Though their meeting did not materialize in any favourable decision for the community.
The community is thus lying with lowest esteem and understands that there is no point in raising the issues.