Not regional parties like the Trinamool Congress, not Asaduddin Owaisi — Muslims in India now need to return to the Congress party.
The Congress’ stand on a number of post-election issues, especially the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens, shows it may be returning to its ideological roots. Its time for Indian Muslims to restore their faith in the grand old party to take on the BJP.
This, after Congress faltered on two grounds – its unwillingness to remove the Gandhi dynasty from the leadership role, and its strategy between 2014 and 2019 to move away from its ideological roots and ape the BJP’s winning formula of Hindutva politics.
Also read: Discovery of Pakistan – How Modi & Shah have dramatically re-hyphenated India with Pakistan
Regional parties won’t do
As far as Muslims are concerned, the most important lesson from the 2019 elections is that a motley group of regional parties, despite their best intentions, will be unable to challenge the BJP at the national level. For that, an all-India organisation committed to liberal and pluralist values of composite nationalism, even if diluted in the past couple of decades, is essential.
Second, it is clear that no new formation espousing such values is on the horizon at the national level. The Congress is the only party that can give the BJP a fight nationally and in the Hindi heartland, which forms the bastion of the ruling party. Let’s not forget that the Congress party had secured almost 12 crore votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
So, Indian Muslims will be wasting their votes by voting for regional parties no matter how sincere their intentions and how genuine their commitment to pluralist ideas. The Trinamool Congress, the Community Party of India (Marxist), the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party come to mind in this regard. But a vote for them in parliamentary, as opposed to state, elections is a vote wasted. They are either too regionally constricted or too much riven with internal fissures.
Voting for the so-called Muslim parties, such as the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), is an even greater waste of vote. Both of them are basically what an Urdu saying portrays eloquently: “derh eint ki masjid (a mosque built with only one brick and a half)”. They also have to live down much of their past sins.
The MIM, which was the precursor to the AIMIM, and its paramilitary organisation known as the Razakars, were principally responsible for egging on the Nizam of Hyderabad to defy New Delhi and not accede to the Union when both demography and geography demanded it. It also tyrannised the Hindu population of the state thus vitiating the communal atmosphere in the Hyderabad state. So, it was largely responsible for the tragedy that befell the Muslims of the princely state following the Police Action of September 1948.
In addition to the sordid organisational baggage that Asaduddin Owaisi carries, he suffers from a Quaid-e-Azam complex. Indian Muslims do not need another Quaid-e-Azam. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was an unalloyed tragedy for the Indian Muslims and the primary cause of their current poor political plight, having succeeded in cutting their demographic heft down to one-third of what it would have been in the absence of Partition. His reincarnation can do great damage to the Muslim image in India by his irresponsible antics, such as tearing up a copy of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament, aimed at shoring up his popularity in his pocket borough in Hyderabad city.
The less said about the IUML the better. Restricted to a small part of Kerala, the party is totally inconsequential in terms of national politics. Moreover, its nomenclature reminds people of its original avatar and the tragedy of Partition, thus adversely affecting the image of Muslims in India. The sooner it disbands itself the better.
Also read: Pushed to the edge, young Indian Muslims are asked to not react
What the Congress must do
The Congress too will have to do more to re-establish its credibility among Muslims. For the past several decades, it has been treating Muslims merely as a vote bank. Far worse, it has tried to appease “Muslim sentiments” by pandering to the wishes of the most obscurantist elements within the community on issues of personal law and other emotional questions. No one has forgotten the Shah Bano case. In the process, the Congress has ignored the real economic and social needs of the community, especially of its most underprivileged sections.
In 2005, the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government set up the Sachar Committee to study the social, economic and educational condition of Muslims in India. It concluded that the socio-economic condition of Indian Muslims was worse than that of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Muslims were severely underrepresented in the civil services, police, military, and legislature. Muslims were more likely to be poor and illiterate and targeted by law enforcement in comparison with other Indians. The report thoroughly exposed the myth of ‘Muslim appeasement’ by Congress governments.
Unfortunately, very little has been done to seriously implement the Sachar Committee’s recommendations despite the fact that the Congress was in power in New Delhi for eight years after the report had been tabled in Parliament.
The socio-economic condition of Muslims has continued to deteriorate while the “Muslim appeasement” canard has continued to spread. Even today, when the Congress disagrees with the Narendra Modi government or the BJP, it is accused of being a Muslim party.
The Congress must seriously address the issues identified in the Sachar Committee report; this will add to its credibility among Muslims come election time.
The Congress must also demonstrate its clear determination to stick to the party’s original ideology of pluralism, the unique Indian definition of secularism, and shed its soft Hindutva image that contributed so greatly to its election debacle earlier this year. It must give up the strategy of hunting with the hound and running with the hare.
Finally, the Congress must re-institute inner-party democracy that was destroyed by Indira Gandhi in the 1970s. Indira Gandhi’s rule institutionalised a sycophantic culture in the party that became the root cause of the Congress’ decline over the decades. Leaders should be elected by a genuine participatory process and not by manufactured acclaim, which is the hallmark of dictatorial systems.
Democratising the functioning of the party will also throw up Muslim leaders with genuine grassroots support cutting across the communal divide. Indian Muslims deserve leaders such as Maulana Azad, with his intellectual depth, and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, with his political acumen and organisational capability, and not the likes of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel whose main claim to political longevity lies in their mastery of the art of sycophancy.
It will be no great tragedy if a set of new Muslim leaders with cross-community support does not emerge immediately. I would prefer Indian Muslims to be represented at the highest political levels by people of the calibre of Shashi Tharoor, Mahua Moitra, Sachin Pilot, Jairam Ramesh, and Manish Tewari rather than opportunists with Muslim appellations but without any popular base.
Also read: Dear Amit Shah, stop distorting history to explain your failures today: Shashi Tharoor
The best choice
In terms of the Congress’ top leadership, despite my continuing reservations regarding dynastic control, Indian Muslims should be willing to accept, as an interim arrangement, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi’s primary role. Priyanka Gandhi has particularly shown great verve after the last election and her commitment to the Congress’ original values appears genuine. She has also demonstrated the grit and determination of her grandmother despite her electoral failure. Rahul Gandhi seems to have learned from his past ideological and organisational failures, renewed his commitment to the Congress’ ideology of pluralism, and honed his rhetorical skills.
All in all, it appears that the best choice for Muslims at the national level in the current circumstances is once again the Congress party. A fractured Muslim vote at the all-India level, dispersed among multiple regional and smaller parties, will be a boon for the Hindutva project. Political pragmatism demands that Muslims return to the Congress fold not as a mute and unsuspecting vote bank but as responsible stakeholders in the Indian polity who have the capacity to hold the party’s feet to the fire if they find that it is once again departing from its original moorings.
The author is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of International Relations, Michigan State University. Views are personal.
We Indian Muslims rejected CongRSS
Our greatest leader huzur Quaide Azam Jinnah rahmatulla alaihi ❤️
We don’t need any kinda liberal as our guide
Our leader Quaid e Azam Jinnah and Taliban mujahideens
We want AIMIM as a new option ,stop the fixing of bjp and congress,not only Muslims,dalits ,Punjabi Christian all poors should support barrister Asad sir,
The data used by the Sarkaria Commission is fake. The institution which collected the data had no standing in academic circles. Research done by Prof Pingle in Hyderabad is far more reliable. Muslims are doing as badly income wise but their education is is a deficiency which needs attention.
A well written and essay and the solution suggested is attainable and practical. There is no way left now other than this alternative. The dynasty politics, though I am not a fan, is the norm of the day in several of the regional parties all over India. I don’t think the author is trying to favour the Congress Party, as he had also pointed out Congress’s weakness fairly. It is the time the Muslim community in India wakes up act.
All religion in India is in danger now. Hindus originally are secular but BJP has a very confused lots of Hindus who are under the spell of fanateism. Now in the power, they find not much can be done to persecute the minorities. Because they wish to stay in power for a long time and persecution is just not possible so long the secular Hindus are active and democratic nation are not sleeping. These secular Hindus are very sensitive and quick on there feet. For example their action/reaction to CAA/NRC is evidently visible. BJP has no choice than to resort to fulfill the dreams of party i.e abrogation of 370,( may not be in the interest of India)triple talaque ( good for muslim society and women)etc. So the minorities cannot be persecuted as it was done at the time of rise of Islam or Nazi Germany. The fact is that India is in danger and the people irrespective of caste,creed,religion should try to out BJP no matter if their vote goes to any secular parties. So long the minorities are available to Art,Music,Literature,Education of India they will co-exist with India and these are the areas in which BJP has no interest and importance. Like the IUML, BJP is also kichadi of two grains of rice. Any of the two grains burnt the kichadi also become untouchable.
The proposed vote for Congress is an impractical solution, since this results in reverse consolidation of Hindu votes for BJP resulting in Congress defeat and waste of Muslim votes. Moreover, the Congress does not have a critical electoral mass in many states for the Muslims there to be able to exercise this option. In any meaningful democracy every group has a right to be represented in the legislative bodies in a proportion roughly equal to their population percentage. Muslims therefore need to have 15% Parliamentary seats or around 80 seats exclusively reserved for them. For this purpose, ideally there should be separate electorates as was originally proposed by Dr. Ambedkar for the Dalits or if this is unacceptable then at least 80 seats reserved for them (as already done for SCs & STs).
It is to be noted that democracy does not merely consist of right to vote (which is but its initial step), but also for the vote to be translated into proportionate and meaningful representation in Parliament & legislatures of the will of the various groups, castes & religions. As things currently stand, Muslims have no hope of getting representation proportionate to their numbers, primarily because of a hostile majoritarian consolidation behind BJP. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the Muslim share of education, government jobs & representation in judiciary is far below its population percentage. The Muslim share of national wealth is below average and Muslims are disproportionately poor and backward. Given all of the above the Muslim candidates do not have any chance of getting elected and representing their community’s interest.
Furthermore, the first past the post system is inadequate in polarised social conditions whereby a mere 35-37% partisan vote can translate into 50-60% seats. In any case the first past the post system is loaded to produce a majority of seats without a majority of vote. It is based on harmonious social conditions and is not meant for polarized societies, where an electoral majority can translate to fascism. The case of Italy is pertinent in the issue. Italy came out of a Fascist dictatorship of Mussolini and to address the risk of its falling back into fascism, its electoral system is based on proportional representation. In the current Indian conditions, a system of proportionate representation would result in a better quality of democracy
No system can survive very long if 15% of its citizens (around 200 Million) are dissatisfied and suppressed. The numbers are simply too large and even a few become disaffected and take to extremism, it will suck away the scarce resources of the state needlessly pacifying them. Their exclusion and marginalization cannot be the choice of any well-wisher of the Indian state.
Print what is your interest in publishing such articles which propogate onre party or a particular party. Are you their spokesperson ????
this man mohammed musy answer how are muslims wronged or felt alienated now. Congress has cheated muslims in the name of religion and he wants them to be chated again. Banu’s case was a let down for the downtrodden. Mohammed supports such UTURN of congress??// Muslims like mohammed altough living in US should realise that their progress les in progress of India. Very fact that muslim popuation has grown in India proves the fact that every one including Muslism enjoy fundamental rights. I dont undewrstand how Citizenship Bill is affecting a muslim cictzen of india. Muslims from Muslims countries in South Asia seeking Indian Citizenship have to go through a tougher process. Rightly so as they have a Country to live exclusively meant for the. So how is this a cause for concern for Mohammed. Mohammed dont render motivated advise and dont see devil when none exists.
INDIA THROUGHOUT UNDER MUGHALS WAS RICHER THAN THE GREAT BRITAIN & EUROPE AND HAD A TRADE SURPLUS WITH ALL THE COUNTRIES AND THE THEN INDIAN CURRENCY WAS STRONGER THAN THE BRITISH POUND AND OTHER EUROPEAN CURRENCIES WITH THE DOLLAR( USA) STILL TO TAKE SHAPE . IT WAS UNDER THE BRITISH THAT THE INDIAN VILLAGE , IRRIGATION , PUBLIC WELFARE AND AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS WERE COMPLETELY DAMAGED TO THE BENEFIT OF THE BRITISH AND TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE SUB-CONTINENT . THE BRITISH ONLY TWEAKED THE REVENUE SYSTEM ESTABLISHED BY THE MOGHALS. THE BRITISH DEPREDATION WAS SO MUCH THAT MILLIONS IN INDIA DIED OF PENURY AND STARVATION WHICH NEVER EVER HAPPENED UNDER THE MOGHALS . BESIDES, HINDU BRAHMINS AND JAINS OCCUPIED IMPORTANT POSITIONS IN THE MOGHAL ADMINISTRATION, WHILE THE BRITISH CONVERTED MANY INDIANS TO BECOME THEIR CLERKS AND LITTLE ELSE . MOST OF THE RANK TOP POSITIONS UNDER THE BRITISH WERE HELD BY THE BRITISHERS THEMSELVES . THE BRITISH HAD NOT EVEN SET UP SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS THOUGH THE PROVENANCE OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION WAS IN THE GREAT BRITAIN. THE FIRST ACT OF THE INTERIM GOVERNMENT HEADED BY NEHRU IN 1946 WAS TO NOTIFY AND ESTABLISH SIX(6) RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS; ALL THE CROWING THAT MODI AND COMPANY ARE DOING TODAY IS ON ACCOUNT OF HARD WORK OF PERSONNEL OF THESE VERY INSTITUTIONS SET UP BY NEHRU . IN FACT, THE BJP( JANA SANGH AND ITS PREDECESSOR) HAD VIRULENTLY OPPOSED NEHRUS PENCHANT FOR SCIENTIFIC TEMPER AS THEY DID AGAINST RAJEEV GANDHI USHERED COMPUERIZATION AND COMMUNICATION REVOLUTION. THE NUB IS BETWEEN 2004 -2014 THE LITERACY( PARTICULARLY FEMALE ONE) AND PER CAPITA INCOME AMONGST MUSLIMS LEAPFROGGED LIKE NEVER BEFORE AND THIS MADE MANY PEOPLE’S HACKLE RISE . IF NOTHING ELSE THE CONGRESS IS NOT ANTI-MUSLIM , WHILE THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID OF THE BJP/RSS/VHP WITH EVEN MODI RESORTING TO SHAMSHAN -KABRISTAN, POWER FOR RAMZAN AND MINORITY DEROGATORY REFERENCE TO RAHUL GANDHI’S WAYNAD CONTEST . INDIRA GANDHI MAY HAVE DESTROYED INTERNAL DEMOCRACY IN THE CONGRESS IS TODAY’S BJP REALLY DEMOCRATIC IN THE SENSE THE CONGRESS BEFORE 1978 WAS ? SHOW US ONE BJP CM , WHO DOES NOT TALK OF HIGH COMMAND, WHILE REGIONAL STRONG MEN IN THE CONGRESS LIKE AMARINDER SINGH , SIDDARAMAIAH HAVE ASSERTED THEMSELVES LIKE NO ONE IN THE BJP OF TODAY CAN DO . THE CONGRESS DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE CONSIDERING THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL MESS THAT HAS BEEN SEEN IN THE LAST SIX YEARS
Is there a need to shout unless reason is not on your side?
It is all are vote Bank. Congress and TMC misguided the people of India, specially minorities. It is required for the Nation . It is not for any communities. Please should not damaged the Government and public property. So many people has been died in this Demonstrations. People should do peaceful demonstrations .
The comments are most instructive – the biggest fear of BJP is that voters return to the congress – that is why bhakts are unleashed on such articles.
india ki halat kya hori h ..ham dusre country ke bare me sunte the ab ye sab hanre watane industan me hora BJP waloe hindustan ki halat kharab kar rakkha h ..
(hamara “Congress” hi acha hai)
jis mulk me rahte ho us mulk ki izzat karna sikho hindu muslim krke ek dusro mat bato khudko
Indian Muslims are well respected in the modern world as compared to other Muslims. Long ago Indian Muslims lost their trust in Fake Gandhi Congress & family leadership. My Indian Muslim brothers are happy in BJP National leadership and enjoying constitutional rights to the fullest spectrum. Better you Keep personal views in your pocket instead selling to Congress.
Who said to you that indian Muslims are happy with the BJP government and enjoying constitutional rights. Sir, first you should read article 14 which is equality before law and equal protection of law and article 15 is prohibition on discrimination on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex. CAA and NRC is totally unconstitutional and it violates article 14 and 15.The net result of CAA and NRC is exclusion of muslims. And sir what about poor people they don’t have any documents . How they will prove that they are indians. Poor people are the one who are badly affected by this act.
The whole approach is emotional. What the CAA stands for is justifiable on law and policy. NRC is different
I understand Every Muslim believes sovereignty over the entire Universe belongs to Almighty Allah alone. Thus Muslim is not able to bond with national constitution does not develop emotion compact with country like India and many non Islamic nations. Secondly because of religious indoctrination every Muslim is made to think he, his modes of living, are superior to rest and only he is destined to rule and non Muslims must be his subject. This ideology we see in rigidity of their practices like continuing to use loud speakers for daily prayers when smart phones can do same or offering namaz in all types of public places causing inconveniences. Not able to respect religious beliefs and practices of other religion etc. I ask the author is this rigid mindset not root cause of Muslims not able to assimilate politically, socially, socially and economically in non Muslim countries? Likewise non Muslim minorities are not able to get equal rights and religious parity in Islamic countries. So self demanded exclusivity in non Islamic nations is cause of their psychological isolation.
Blaming Congress for supporting “obscurantist” elements within the Muslim community is meaningless. These are the people who enjoy support amongst the Muslim masses and can bring the votes. Self marginalisation is one of the major factors behind the current socioeconomic situation of Muslims as well. How can Muslims have such a poor condition when they have been the rulers for the last 1200 years? It doesn’t add up at all. The solution to this is not the pan islamism by modern means exemplified by the Aligarh Movement. Rather it is a rejection of the idiotic of separate Muslim identity and embracing unionism with Hindus of the same castes. The Sachar Committee also states that Muslims have similar socioeconomic status as their corresponding Hindu castes. The quote you made is in reference to the SCs amongst Muslims who don’t enjoy the said benefits. The single point fascination with creating a separate Muslim identity is responsible to a very large extent for the ghettoisation and marginalisation of the Muslim community. Such a visible consolidation by the Muslim community has almost always led to a counter polarisation amongst Hindus thus increasing the growth of Hindutva parties. You have candidly admitted the background of the MIM. However similarly you must accept the damage that the Theory of Separation of Shah Waliullah Dehlavi and it’s modern version in the form of the Aligarh Movement have done to the Muslim masses. Only then can communal feelings in the subcontinent be truly countered.
People of India want a leader who is not rich and belongs to common people. He must be totally free from any suspicion or blemish. The only person who fulfills this criteria is Ms Mamta Bannerji. All Muslim leaders and people must choose Mamtaji as their leader.
This portal even does not deserve reply or comment… they r in a mission to convert this nation into Islamic state in guise of secularism… this along with the Quint have exposed themselves …just by their track record
Article has good elements as well as it bears some irrational arguments.
I had written on an article in Malayalam undermining politics of Uvaisi. But I didn’t want Muslims to be with Congress. Muslims should only try to refrain from identity politics.
The author should understand that Muslim League in Kerala unlike AIMIM, is a liberal party which had no any communal provocation. You can ask to Shashi Taroor.
Political representation or political Leadership is not the basic problem with Indian Muslims, their problems lie in lack of good religious leader who works for the interest of social and economic development of society, irrespective of any political bias.
The best example for such leadership is Kanthapuram AP ABU BACKER MUSLIYAR of Kerala. He works for educational and societal needs of Muslims. So Muslims do not need Congress BJP or any party, they only need good religious leaders who lead them for betterment of social and economic conditions of Muslims.
This writer is like the Bourbons of post-revolution France: “Learnt nothing, forgot nothing”. Congress is mainly striving to save the prerogatives of The Family, as was seen in the case of withdrawal of SPG protection for pseudo Gandhi family. It has no agenda for the country or itself, much less for the Muslims. My sincere advice: Stop tagging yourselves to any political party for favours. Be independent and use judgment for choosing whom to vote. Come out of the parasitic mentality of expecting one party or the other to protect the Muslim interests.
Parasitic mentality ??,
That’s what they will always be. The author gave away his real feelings when he criticised jinnah for splitting their vote bank.
….the author should stay where he is and publish more articles like this, ……the congress will just disappear faster.
In short Hindus need to united to vote for BJP if they want to protect their culture as congress will not care and they will continue to do the appeasement of these jihadis.
U said perfectly… appreciated…
What you wrote was a utopian thinking.The reality is Congress is radar less,leader less.When the entire nation is burning with new citizenship law, people are agitating across the country, Rahul Gandhi left India to meet South Korean delegates. Why the Muslims will go back to Congress when the party has lost all it’s credibility even to their supporters.Congress became weaker and weaker which helped in creating regional parties.Don’t forget TMC was created from Congress.
Congress is the sole responsible far our plights of muslims …be it in education,health.reservation see sri krishan commision report kundu commitee report…we have suffer a lot….only used as vote bank..sole responsible for demoletion of babri…as for as assad he is a true leader who speaks for all irrespective of caste…after baba sab ambedkar we havnt seen a leader like assad sab…future of india
Ur so called future of India will not win even 1 hindu dominated constituency in hi whole life….
He is a communal bigot remember his popularity comes frm “15 Minute police hata lo”
What has the Congress done for the Muslims except keep you in filth and used you as a vote bank. Owasi and others are doing the same. Why don’t you encourage Muslims to go to proper schools instead of their stupid Madrasas where they only learn of what is it to live in Arabia 1500 years ago. If you want to be a force then study and excel and join the main stream. But if you want just to be a vote bank then be ready to be exploited and remain in filth and your ghettos
Don’t fallbprye to this congress propaganda Congress is responsible for all the evil happened to the Muslims what action the Congress government inup and the sickular Nehru took when the idols were smuggled into Babri masjid.The so called secular rRajiv opened the door of masjid playing soft hindutva When the masjid was demolished ist p.m.was sleeping and committed to rebuilding the masjid on the same place This was the last straw on camels back when the b.j.p became formidable force in India So muslim should vote the party which is strong inthe purticular state but never vote Congress till the masjid is built on the same place.
This BJP Musalman don’t know IUML and Congress are alliance in Kerala from last 30 years, don’t teach us to whom to we vote…those days are gone my friend…
NAMO LED BJP ONLY WILL IMPROVE MUSLIM,SINCE PAST HISTORY HINDUS ONLY HELPED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY TO ESTABLISH ISLAM CULTURE IN INDIA.I PERSONALLY BELIEVE LIFES OF MUSLIM WILL IMPROVE THROUGH NAMO BJP.THE WRITER HAS PRESENTED ARTICLE FOR CONGRESS ,DULY ENCOURAGING VOTING BY MUSLIM TO CONGRESS.AND I BELIEVE NAMO BJP CONTINUES FOR MAXIMUM TIME INDIA WILL BE ANOTHER USA,WHO IS ECONOMICALLY GOOD.BUT WRITER HAS STRONGLY TOLD THAT REGIONAL PARTIES WONT USUFUL.
Muslims, muslims, Muslim, muslims…..that’s about all I could read in this article.
This is confirmed that Congress is on deathbed it’s saviour Muslims are in confused state to believe this pseduo Gandhi family or not …
Don’t repeat the same mistake… Be entrepreneurial ….
Then It’s 80% vs 15%.
Hindustan vs Pakistan.
Let’s see who is winning
Next time Minimum 400 and change the law
Apply for Citizenship in another sikular country
Congress at the center and regional parties at the state is the way to go.. bjp has shown its true colors.. India can’t risk another bjp regime…
agree that radical muslims should be kept out…
Salute the students for standing up for each other and standing up against the fascist regime…
My faith in India is restored
#SaynotoNRC #SaynotoCAA
All including muslum should vote TMC in WB. TMC is better than Cong and Left. Congress is the party which makes other oppn parties lose, lose self and let BJP win. Congress is helping BJP to destroy the country.
I disagree with the author. Muslims might have better share in the power if they united under Owaisi. I may disagree with his views, but Owaisi seems straightforward and honest in expressing his ideas.
Thanks for making this very clear. All Hindus should read your blatantly partisan article and vote for the BJP.
Dear Mohammed, your article is a bundle of contradictions. Essentially, you want that very party that is responsible for, going by the Sachar committee report, plight of Indian Muslims, that very party that has cheated Muslims all along. Will you Indian Muslims never learn? You are much better off under the BJP, which is honest, straightforward, which says ‘no special treatment to anybody including Muslims’, but like a tide that lifts all boats, Muslims too will be better off like anybody else. I agree that the BJP has destroyed Muslims’ political heft by coming to power without their votes–which is not undemocratic. But I’d like you to reflect on these questions: (1) Is there evidence that Muslims have been denied job, education or other economic opportunities? (I don’t think so–I see many Muslims in the armed forces, our UN ambassador is a (fine) Muslim; (2) Is there evidence that Muslims have been denied the benefit of govt’s schemes? (3) Is there evidence that Muslims are being mass-incarcerated, or being subject to the kind of edification that’s happening in China’s Xingjiang? (Pl remember, BJP govt made a budgetary allocation for modernisation of Madrasas) (4) Is there evidence that crimes against Muslims are on the rise? (Give me data, not sporadic instances such as Aklaq or Pehlu Khan, the kinds of which happens to all communities all the time). Please be honest to yourself in your reflection. If you can provide positive answers to these questions, people like me will cross over to your side.
And, by the way, what is your problem with the CAA? The govt has repeatedly said that it has nothing to do with resident Indian Muslims. Asking your people to ‘return’ to the Congress is the worst disservice you could do to them.
You know, Indian Muslims are fine people, there are more good people in that community than any other, but the problem with them is that they fall for the propaganda that the BJP and rest of India is out to get them. Pl stop seeing ghosts when there is none.
The author had completely forgotten this year loksabha results where opposition mahagathbandhan was defeated comprehensively in Uttar pradesh.Muslim leaders wont get hindu community support if they try to rub wounds of hindus by claiming ram janma bhoomi as their own where even asi led by kk muhammad had found that underneath babri masjid lied a hindu temple.after that also muslims had temerity to dispute this.
The author seems to be a mouthpiece of the now defunct Khangress on its deathbed grasping for breath and on it’s last leg to hell and an opportunistic chameleon changing colours by the minute. RIP CONGRESS.
The Congress has been treating the Muslim vote as ghar ki murgi. Aur jaa hi kahan sakte hain ? It should not feel sheepish in saying that it stands by the Muslim community, is committed to their social and economic advancement. I personally found nothing objectionable about Dr Singh’s statement that the minorities have the first claim over the nation’s resources. That is so much more enlightened than treating them as less than complete and equal citizens. If the Congress wishes to be the natural choice of 200 million citizens, it should do a lot more for them.
If NIA was CIA, Pakistan would have re merged with India by now. Lost 70 years.
Thank God! What a disaster we have been saved from!
Shekharji, in the 2014 elections, Congress contested 464 seats but fielded just 31 Muslim candidates – of those, only seven won. Much hasn’t changed in this election – only 32 of the party’s 423 candidates were Muslim and even fewer won. Infact, Muslims have understood the designs of the congress and lootbhandan parties who have made them as vote bank by fear mongering about BJP.
Sitting in Michigan, he forments communalism on Indian soil…. Will print publish oped supporting such coalition of Hindus?
Not true. The author has been moderate. All he is asking is for Muslims to vote for Congress, not attack Hindus.