By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net
Hyderabad: Arrests of Majlis-e-Itehadul Muslimeen leaders is changing the political face of Deccan by each passing day. Many Muslims in Andhra Pradesh who maintained distance from MIM during hate speech controversy is now backing it openly on the basis of popular perception that Congress is settling a political score with MIM, as they have withdrawn their support to their Government.
The prosecution of Akabruddin Owaisi in under serious charges of sec 120B, 121, 124A which could carry a death sentence for his alleged hate speech, the cases booked against MIM General secretary under same sections for questioning the presence of Gandhi statue in the State Assembly, and finally the arrest of MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi in a seven year old case, raised the eyebrows of Andhra Pradesh Muslims.
TCN spoke to Muslim intellectuals from Andhra Pradesh to catch the nerve of Muslim community on the unfolding and handling of whole MIM affair.
Advocate Abdul Raheem Qureshi is the Assistant General Secretary of All India Muslim personal law board, and president of All India Tameer-e-Millat and United Muslim Action Council. He firmly believes that action against MIM leaders is based on the vindictive attitude of congress Government. Mr. Qureshi said, “It’s not just a revenge it is a blind vengeance, in which even judiciary has become a victim.”
He said till MIM was an ally of congress, for eight long years that case against Asaduddin was kept in cold storage, suddenly one day it become so serious that even a Member of Parliament is not allotted bail in a minor assault case. He also added that sections in which Akbaruddin Owaisi and Ahmed Pasha Quadri is prosecuted speak to its length, sec 121, 124B is added to make difficult for them even to access a bail.
Mr. Abdul Raheem Qureshi said he believe that Congress state Government want to give a message to Muslims of Andhra Pradesh that, they can teach them a lesson whenever they desire. Mr. Qureshi also said congress is putting axe on its own foot by targeting Muslims politicians, “I don’t know why Congress central leadership is giving free hand to state leadership to deal with Muslims in this manner. It will have far reaching consequences for congress future. As far as MIM is concern the empathy of Muslims they have galvanized will benefit them to emerge stronger,” Abdul Raheem Qureshi said.
Mazahar Hussain chairman of Confederation of Voluntary Association (COVA), who led the campaign from front against Akbaruddin Owaisi’s hate speech by getting social activists in one platform to condemn his speech, now feels Politics of vendetta and selective action of congress has engulfed the real issues.
“We protested when Akbaruddin was booked in excessive and disproportionate laws, and hate mongers from other community was let off easily, that is where the politics of selective action began. Action should be taken in each and every case; selective action will only increase the communal divide.” Mazhar Hussain said.
He said the present situation clearly indicates that Congress is currently indulge in politics of payback, and he believes by this selective action if Muslims started to feel more victimized and oppressed then entire politics of Andhra Pradesh will become polarized.
K.M. Arifuddin a renowned educationist from Andhra Pradesh and chairman of Madina group of Institutions said arrest of Asaduddin Owaisi in an eight year old minor almost dead case led him to believe that congress state Government is involved in a terrible witch hunt, “Asad’s arrest reminded me of the episode of Narendra Modi getting IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt arrested in an old case to settle a political revenge,” Mr. Arifuddin said.
Mr. Arifuddin said when Congress started to single out Muslim political party in a shadow of double standards it made Muslim community felt victimized.
Mr. Arifuddin has made a strong statement by saying that, “State Government has showed Muslims that we are second grade citizens and can be dealt by using excessive laws and arbitrary cases. Every government want to use and throw Muslims, they can’t entertain their political voice. But at the end of the day, chief minister is counting his days, and the secular image of congress is already being damaged beyond repair in the minds of Andhra Pradesh Muslims.”
Lateef Mohammed Khan general secretary of Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) considers the Act of MIM to politically challenge Congress party kicked started the politics of revenge. But he also firmly believes that they are singled out and targeted in an excessive manner because they are a Muslim political party and Congress will be the last party to witness Muslim politicians as their opponents.
Mr. Khan said, “What angered Congress most was the act of MIM organizing public meetings in rural districts to humiliate congress and its policies. Every major political party in Andhra Pradesh is getting ready for an early election, so did was MIM. Many regional politicians during their camping given an open call to root out state Government, but none them was charged under sedition, many of them have hundreds of old pending cases, but none of them was put behind bars due to those old cases.”
Then he added, “In the case of MIM now a political opponent of ruling party an excessive revenge is underway, as Congress party’s message to Muslims is clear. That if Muslims want to stand in politics independently then they have to abide by the ruling party. MIM has given a signal of contesting assembly elections out of four walls of Hyderabad, and Congress wanted to prove that in democratic space Muslim political party has very low chance of survival.”
Lateef Mohd Khan also added the attitude of revenge towards opponents is dangerous for democratic setup, “In parliamentary democracy differences and oppositions do take place, but to crush your opponents by using state machinery because they belong to a particular community is very dangerous for a secular democratic spirit of the nation. Congress is a party which always wants to keep its hegemony over democracy, and the act of congress is undemocratic and fascist in nature.”
MIM which was largely restricted into Hyderabad has now been seen as another potential player in the state politics due to the Muslim sympathy wave it is riding on. So do believe Habeebur Rehman of Muslim United Front of Vijayawada city in Krishna district, he said “Earlier Muslims in rural districts after Akbaruddin’s speech tried to distance itself from MIM. But now even Muslims in the districts have observed a systematic bias against Muslim politicians where they are prosecuted and declared anti-nationals and rotted in jail. While other communal leaders who spread venom against Muslim walks free.”
Abdul Rahim Qureshi
Habeebur Rehman feels when Asaduddin owaisi was denied bail and arrested in an eight year old minor case it changed the speculative bias of district Muslims into a firm believer of victimhood. “General Muslims now are looking it as a ploy of Government to crush the political voice of Muslims. I observed that Muslim community in districts has developed an unprecedented sympathy for Owaisi brothers and MIM whom they now perceive as representatives of their community under subjugation.”
Mr. Rehman also added that Muslims in Andhra Pradesh is now feeling that it is not just MIM but its whole Muslim community which have been singled out by the Congress Government to use the loopholes in the system to make a mockery of justice, so that they can cash some Hindu votes. Habeebur Rehman said if the sympathy of District Muslims for MIM continues till assembly election it can very well emerge as a state-level political party.
Jamat-e-Islami Hind all the way have played a neutral role in the whole MIM controversial episodes, even its social activist’s wing Movement for Peace and Justice (MPJ) condemned Akbaruddin’s speech and demanded action against him. But now even JIH A.P. Chapter has openly condemned vindictive politics of state Congress Government.
JIH A.P. zonal president Khaja Arifuddin said from past few days he also observed that that internal conflicts and differences between MIM and Congress is now being played on bitter level. He said arrest of Asaduddin Owaisi in a 2005 case is a clear indication that action against MIM leaders is not just limited to the process of justice but now politics of revenge has also spread its tentacles into it.
But JIH zonal president said that at any cost it should not become a Hindu-Muslim communal issue. “See MIM is a political party, congress has some conflict with MIM and they used law against them in a harsh manner, which is should be condemned. But it is purely a political scene; it should not be given a communal angel. Some right wing communal elements have tried to give it a religious angel but they couldn’t succeed.”
Khaja Arifuddin also added, “In political life such things are common, when you lead movement then you have to struggle for it. We have given many scarifies after independence to create a personality cult Muslims which do not bow in front of others. Muslims now cannot be oppressed by any means; Allah will always be with us. As far as Muslim political power is concerned in Andhra Pradesh even after all these controversies no political party could come to power without Muslim community’s support.”
But Hamed Mohd Khan Jamat’s social wing MPJ’s president and a vocal critic of MIM believes that all controversies is just part of political bargaining of MIM with Congress. Mr. Khan refused the contention that MIM is being targeted excessively because they are a Muslim political party, he believes MIM doesn’t represent political voice of Muslims in Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Khan holds a very different opinion from others and believes that Congress party and Chief Minister has just showed MIM the real meaning of political power, he also said that Congress will put all the elected MIM representatives behind bars as part of their conspiracy against MIM.
Nonetheless Hamed Mohd Khan believes that it will benefit congress more than MIM, as it will open avenues for Muslim political leaders in congress to get more active, and the defunct minority department of congress party will have some role to play in the future. He said it is in the larger interest of the Muslim to be part of national secular party.
Who will be benefited from ongoing controversies Congress, MIM or any other third party can only be decided during elections. But as the events are unfolding the open political witch hunt of MIM has certainly initiated a drive of sympathy wave, which is the biggest political score point for grand old Muslim political party of Deccan since its reformation in 1958.