By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
The issue of Rohingyas in Myanmar has greatly divided the nation, with a number of people saying that India should act on compassionate and humanitarian grounds to address the issue of the influx of refugees. The ruling party BJP, of course, has time and again refused any such aid to the people who are suffering and has in fact, time and again insisted on deporting the Rohingya refugees who are currently in India. The fact that most of these refugees are Muslims goes a long way in deciding the stance of the BJP with the Indian government even saying to the Supreme Court that some of these refugees have connections with terrorist organisations like the ISIS and the Al-Qaeda. And like any other political party, it expects its members to toe the party line. One member, Benazir Afran, executive member of the BJP’s State Mazdoor Morcha in Assam, found out the cost of not complying and was suspended from the party. According to media reports, she had participated in a rally organised for Rohingyas.
However, as Benazir points out, this has little to do with how BJP treats in minority voices and attempts to dismiss their assertions. Speaking with TwoCircles.net, Afran, who joined the BJP’s act of suspending her from the party shows how they think of voices from the minority. Arfan’s association with the Hindu right-wing also extend to Gau Raksha. She pointed out that she is the national vice president of Rashtriya Gau Raksha Vahini, an all-women association established under the RSS for ‘cow protection’.
“First, let me tell you that contrary to media reports, it was not a rally in support of Rohingya Muslims. It was a prayer meeting for people who have died in the ongoing conflict. It was organised by an NGO called United Minority People’s Forum (UMPF) in Guwahati and was scheduled for September 16,” she said.
What makes the issue more interesting is that Benazir said that she and another member of the BJP minority cell, Roshanara Begum, had spoken with Ranjit Kumar, President, Assam BJP, and it was given permission. “A day later, I was sent a show cause notice asking why I was participating in the rally. I explained my stance and said that I made a mistake on social media by saying that it was a rally instead of a prayer meet and apologised. I also said I won’t be participating in the prayer meet that was scheduled for September 16. On September 18, I was suspended without any notice. And Roshanara Begum was allowed to attend the prayer meet without any repercussions,” she added.
Arfan said Das had targeted her because in the past she had pointed out how favouritism was working in the state unit at the cost of denying rightful opportunities to more deserving people. “Two months ago, I had pointed out how one woman from the party who only had a matriculate degree had been given four positions in both the party and government promoted schemes. Since then, the party’s top leaders have been trying to target me and this prayer meeting was used as an excuse to throw me out of the party,” she said.
Arfan, who had contested last year’s state elections from Jania constituency in Barpeta district from a BJP ticket, said she agrees with the BJP line when it comes to how to ‘tackle’ the issue of Rohingyas. “What is happening to them is bad, and this prayer meeting was on humanitarian grounds. I do not advocate their entry to India. It is not our (India’s) problem and we are right to deny them refuge here. I only wanted to attend the prayer meet on humanitarian grounds, not because I believe they are being treated wrong by India,” she says.
Despite having lakhs of Muslim members in their state unit, Arfan said Muslims had been time and again been reminded of their role in the party. “I joined the party because I thought that unlike the Congress government, the BJP under the leadership of Sarbananda Sonowal will work for all of Assam. While they want Muslims to join the party, they don’t want them to express their opinions. They just want us to follow orders. As a Muslim woman, I was discriminated time and again and after this incident, I will never again ask them to take me back,” she said.