TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: With Muslims polarising in favour of religious outfits in Assam and Kerala polls, a key author of Sachar report has sounded the alarm that mainstream parties have to step in to check the "unfortunate" trend.
The community's gravitation towards Badruddin Ajmal's AUDF in Assam and Muslim League in Kerala was so complete that the parties notched up their highest tallies, emerging key players in state assemblies.
Abusaleh Shariff, who was part of the Sachar panel which ranked Muslims at par with dalits in backwardness, called the electoral development "unfortunate". He said the community veered towards religious parties owing to lack of representation in mainstream platforms. "This makes them vulnerable to religious rhetoric," he said.
The Muslims-for-Muslimparties trend raised eyebrows because it happened in states where demographics make religious politics a sustainable enterprise.
Assam has 30% of the community while Kerala has around 25%. That they are concentrated in select districts makes them crucial to winnability and appealing to leaders who want to launch religious platforms. Shariff said, "We want Muslims to go to normal schools and not madrassas, but now the same is happening in politics. They have to be part of mainstream parties and the latter too have to be more inclusive — give them tickets and pay attention to their welfare agenda to check the unfortunate drift." While the secular credentials of Congress and Left traditionally polled a chunk of community votes, the 2011 results surprised observers to ask if it was a trend.
West Bengal, however, bucked the wave with Trinamool Congress raking in the community's backing. The Bengal result is seen as welcome relief. The political class, however, feels that too much focus on Kerala and Assam could be misleading because the potential is higher among mainstream parties to have broad-based support.
Bihar, too, has high Muslim population but Nitish Kumar's success last year in singlehandedly weaning them away from Lalu Prasad is seen as evidence of this belief.
It’s an alarming trend Ajay Vaishnav
Embedded in the electoral success of outfits like Badruddin Ajmal’s AIUDF in Assam and the Muslim League in Kerala is the dangerous trend of communalism raising its head again in Indian politics. It is too simplistic to dismiss the rise of these narrow religion-based parties as part and parcel of India’s democratic process. On the contrary, their success doesn’t augur well for the Union. It may lead to increased fissiparous tendencies.
Let’s not forget that communal politics has tormented India on numerous occasions. In the past, it created havoc in the form of partition of the subcontinent on religious lines. India had to be partitioned because of fears planted in the minds of the minority community by the Muslim League. Moreover, the League succeeded in areas where the minority population was concentrated. The present trend is on similar lines, as these fringe parties have done well in regions where minority populations are concentrated. A party like AIUDF, which made its debut in the 2006 assembly elections with 10 seats, has increased its tally to 18 this time, catapulting it into the position of the second largest party in Assam. Its success is based on a narrow agenda of the welfare of immigrant Muslim settlers. Likewise, in Kerala, the Muslim League won 20 out of 24 seats in minority-dominated constituencies.
The rise of ‘Muslims-for-Muslimparties’ will polarise the polity and vitiate the atmosphere. At this stage, when India is poised for fast economic growth, the country cannot afford the growth of communal parties with their narrow self-serving agendas. The point can be broadened to state that identity politics of any kind is pernicious. India has a secular Constitution, and only secular parties should be permitted to operate. That’s the best way for India to keep the scourge of communalism at bay.
Embedded in the electoral success of outfits like Badruddin Ajmal’s AIUDF in Assam and the Muslim League in Kerala is the dangerous trend of communalism raising its head again in Indian politics. It is too simplistic to dismiss the rise of these narrow religion-based parties as part and parcel of India’s democratic process. On the contrary, their success doesn’t augur well for the Union. It may lead to increased fissiparous tendencies.
Let’s not forget that communal politics has tormented India on numerous occasions. In the past, it created havoc in the form of partition of the subcontinent on religious lines. India had to be partitioned because of fears planted in the minds of the minority community by the Muslim League. Moreover, the League succeeded in areas where the minority population was concentrated. The present trend is on similar lines, as these fringe parties have done well in regions where minority populations are concentrated. A party like AIUDF, which made its debut in the 2006 assembly elections with 10 seats, has increased its tally to 18 this time, catapulting it into the position of the second largest party in Assam. Its success is based on a narrow agenda of the welfare of immigrant Muslim settlers. Likewise, in Kerala, the Muslim League won 20 out of 24 seats in minority-dominated constituencies.
The rise of ‘Muslims-for-Muslimparties’ will polarise the polity and vitiate the atmosphere. At this stage, when India is poised for fast economic growth, the country cannot afford the growth of communal parties with their narrow self-serving agendas. The point can be broadened to state that identity politics of any kind is pernicious. India has a secular Constitution, and only secular parties should be permitted to operate. That’s the best way for India to keep the scourge of communalism at bay.
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