Thursday, 17 October 2013 | Gautam Mukherjee
Old certainties are shifting ground. The Congress cannot be sure of its support base anymore, not amongst the voters or amongst the regional parties, and certainly not among the minorities even
Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind chief Mahmood Madani, accusing the Congress, in the main, of trying to scare Muslims, has performed a signal act of truthfulness and courage. Mr Madani says Congress, and others like the Samajwadi Party, are trying to create a spurious Narendra Modi bogey.
After all, there have been many more pogroms and riots involving Muslims and other minorities, including Sikhs, in Congress-ruled states over the years. But throughout, the Congress has proved unable to protect the very minorities it has extracted its votes from. The Congress may prefer to be blasé about this, but the Muslims of India may have had enough of being duped.
For it is not every day that a senior and respected voice from the Indian Muslim community speaks up like this, without prevarication, and in crystal clear terms. The same Mr Madani had earlier taken issue with the then Deoband Chief, Maulana Ghulam Vastanvi, leading to the latter’s ouster, in February 2013. Vastanvi had done no more than make a similar pro-Modi remark.
So, Mr Madani's dramatic and pointed turn-around and change of stance now may have been occasioned by the anguish and disgust generated by the recent highly political Muzaffarnagar riots. He could well be raising his influential voice to express the anger of the Muslim rank and file against the insincerity and manipulation of the so-called ‘secular’ parties.
Timing his statement to the media, shortly before a slew of Assembly elections, Mr Madani probably intends to signal the restiveness of the Muslim about the traditional vote-bank politics.
This could be a protest against the hoary tactics practised by parties like the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal (United) and sundry others, some who could even end up in the NDA post-election.
Combined with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar’s recent remark about how no political party should be regarded as an “untouchable” in a democratic polity, the old sureties seem to be under strain.
The NCP is an uneasy and untrusted Congress ally in Maharashtra, and disenchanted with its role at the Centre. It may be looking to redefine the hidden code that tries to suggest that secular means Congress and communal means BJP.
Other words of praise have come Mr Modi’s way from Ms J Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu, and Mr Chandrababu Naidu and Mr Jagan Reddy from Andhra Pradesh, who think highly of his development record and are keen on his even-handed leadership, and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa of Karnataka. But the old certainties are definitely shifting ground. The Congress cannot be sure of its support base anymore, not amongst the voters or amongst the regional parties, nor of its supposed patent on ‘secularism’.
The handling of cyclone Phailin, with over five lakh people efficiently evacuated in 48 hours, with just 23 known casualties so far, compared to over 10,000 dead in the last cyclone of 1999, is highly commendable. If Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, along with other leading lights of the so-called Third Front find they have too many generals and not enough soldiers, it may be just as well for the BJD to rejoin the NDA and play a stellar role at the Centre.
And not everyone in the regional line-up that are comfortable at present, will fare equally well in the general election. Some will be affected by anti-incumbency, others like Lalu Prasad, by the new stringent anti-criminal strictures. Their inter-related numbers will change. The equations between the possible Third Front constituents, therefore, are necessarily in flux. The Jamiat chief, is meanwhile, saying that Muslim Indians have every right to choose their new Government in 2014 freely, fairly and without pressure. Mr Madani says Muslims are not like ‘batasha’, designed to melt if a little water is poured on it.
Meanwhile, every bit of Congress-sponsored welfarism, designed to deliver UPAIII, is failing because of rampant corruption. The children’s mid-day meal scheme kills children around the country. The Public Distribution System distributes food and grain mostly to the commercial markets rather than the intended recipients.
The fact that youth form the bulk of the electorate this time, will mean that the old formulaic politics will be automatically challenged both in the urban and the rural areas. The aspiration of the young for a decisive leadership that can deliver growth and development is what is attracting millions to Mr Modi.
The youth prefer the 64-year old Mr Modi’s dynamism and energy to the younger but uninspiring Congress vice president, Mr Rahul Gandhi, and his party of old war horses and largely untested dynastic yuppies. The Indian people may be maturing in ways not too comfortable for its largely aged political leadership which is unable and unwilling to grasp new realities. It is no good for them to dwell on poverty and victimhood when the relentless glare of media exposes their own opulent lifestyles and high-flying ways.
These very people who claim to feel for the poor and minorities, live protected, sanitised and deodorised lives — far removed from all their professed concerns. Many are indeed far more comfortable when they can get away abroad to enjoy their wealth out of sight. The voting peasant and the slum- dweller know this, perhaps they always have. But now, being young and aspirational, they will not tolerate blatant non-performance, given an alternative.
And the corruption on top of the hypocrisy is hard to bear when coupled with the chimera of aam aadmi sloganeering, the political content of which is a confection made of many self-serving fantasies, none of which has anything to do with the actual common man!
The Mufti Mukarram of Fatehpuri Mosque in the Capital, commenting further on Mr Madani’s remarks, says the fabric of secularism is strong enough now to persuade a Modi to moderate his stance if he wins. This had to be done by then fire-brand LK Advani when he became Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, and it will be the same for Mr Modi, should he become Prime Minister.
Other pro-Modi Muslim voices such as journalist Shahid Siddiqui of the Urdu weekly, Nai Duniya, are also saying they have had enough of pretence politics with regard to Muslims. The community is the most backward and economically depressed in the country, says Mr Siddiqui — behind Dalits, behind everyone.
These confident and properly secular ‘minority’ voices of India may have realised that it will take a Narendra Modi to help Muslims take their rightful places amongst the empowered and prosperous of this country.
Besides, if the 175 million Muslims and 50 odd million of other minorities are truly brought into the mainstream, Pakistan may have to look elsewhere to export its terror.
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/exposing-the-farce-in-secularisms-name.html
Old certainties are shifting ground. The Congress cannot be sure of its support base anymore, not amongst the voters or amongst the regional parties, and certainly not among the minorities even
Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind chief Mahmood Madani, accusing the Congress, in the main, of trying to scare Muslims, has performed a signal act of truthfulness and courage. Mr Madani says Congress, and others like the Samajwadi Party, are trying to create a spurious Narendra Modi bogey.
After all, there have been many more pogroms and riots involving Muslims and other minorities, including Sikhs, in Congress-ruled states over the years. But throughout, the Congress has proved unable to protect the very minorities it has extracted its votes from. The Congress may prefer to be blasé about this, but the Muslims of India may have had enough of being duped.
For it is not every day that a senior and respected voice from the Indian Muslim community speaks up like this, without prevarication, and in crystal clear terms. The same Mr Madani had earlier taken issue with the then Deoband Chief, Maulana Ghulam Vastanvi, leading to the latter’s ouster, in February 2013. Vastanvi had done no more than make a similar pro-Modi remark.
So, Mr Madani's dramatic and pointed turn-around and change of stance now may have been occasioned by the anguish and disgust generated by the recent highly political Muzaffarnagar riots. He could well be raising his influential voice to express the anger of the Muslim rank and file against the insincerity and manipulation of the so-called ‘secular’ parties.
Timing his statement to the media, shortly before a slew of Assembly elections, Mr Madani probably intends to signal the restiveness of the Muslim about the traditional vote-bank politics.
This could be a protest against the hoary tactics practised by parties like the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal (United) and sundry others, some who could even end up in the NDA post-election.
Combined with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar’s recent remark about how no political party should be regarded as an “untouchable” in a democratic polity, the old sureties seem to be under strain.
The NCP is an uneasy and untrusted Congress ally in Maharashtra, and disenchanted with its role at the Centre. It may be looking to redefine the hidden code that tries to suggest that secular means Congress and communal means BJP.
Other words of praise have come Mr Modi’s way from Ms J Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu, and Mr Chandrababu Naidu and Mr Jagan Reddy from Andhra Pradesh, who think highly of his development record and are keen on his even-handed leadership, and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa of Karnataka. But the old certainties are definitely shifting ground. The Congress cannot be sure of its support base anymore, not amongst the voters or amongst the regional parties, nor of its supposed patent on ‘secularism’.
The handling of cyclone Phailin, with over five lakh people efficiently evacuated in 48 hours, with just 23 known casualties so far, compared to over 10,000 dead in the last cyclone of 1999, is highly commendable. If Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, along with other leading lights of the so-called Third Front find they have too many generals and not enough soldiers, it may be just as well for the BJD to rejoin the NDA and play a stellar role at the Centre.
And not everyone in the regional line-up that are comfortable at present, will fare equally well in the general election. Some will be affected by anti-incumbency, others like Lalu Prasad, by the new stringent anti-criminal strictures. Their inter-related numbers will change. The equations between the possible Third Front constituents, therefore, are necessarily in flux. The Jamiat chief, is meanwhile, saying that Muslim Indians have every right to choose their new Government in 2014 freely, fairly and without pressure. Mr Madani says Muslims are not like ‘batasha’, designed to melt if a little water is poured on it.
Meanwhile, every bit of Congress-sponsored welfarism, designed to deliver UPAIII, is failing because of rampant corruption. The children’s mid-day meal scheme kills children around the country. The Public Distribution System distributes food and grain mostly to the commercial markets rather than the intended recipients.
The fact that youth form the bulk of the electorate this time, will mean that the old formulaic politics will be automatically challenged both in the urban and the rural areas. The aspiration of the young for a decisive leadership that can deliver growth and development is what is attracting millions to Mr Modi.
The youth prefer the 64-year old Mr Modi’s dynamism and energy to the younger but uninspiring Congress vice president, Mr Rahul Gandhi, and his party of old war horses and largely untested dynastic yuppies. The Indian people may be maturing in ways not too comfortable for its largely aged political leadership which is unable and unwilling to grasp new realities. It is no good for them to dwell on poverty and victimhood when the relentless glare of media exposes their own opulent lifestyles and high-flying ways.
These very people who claim to feel for the poor and minorities, live protected, sanitised and deodorised lives — far removed from all their professed concerns. Many are indeed far more comfortable when they can get away abroad to enjoy their wealth out of sight. The voting peasant and the slum- dweller know this, perhaps they always have. But now, being young and aspirational, they will not tolerate blatant non-performance, given an alternative.
And the corruption on top of the hypocrisy is hard to bear when coupled with the chimera of aam aadmi sloganeering, the political content of which is a confection made of many self-serving fantasies, none of which has anything to do with the actual common man!
The Mufti Mukarram of Fatehpuri Mosque in the Capital, commenting further on Mr Madani’s remarks, says the fabric of secularism is strong enough now to persuade a Modi to moderate his stance if he wins. This had to be done by then fire-brand LK Advani when he became Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, and it will be the same for Mr Modi, should he become Prime Minister.
Other pro-Modi Muslim voices such as journalist Shahid Siddiqui of the Urdu weekly, Nai Duniya, are also saying they have had enough of pretence politics with regard to Muslims. The community is the most backward and economically depressed in the country, says Mr Siddiqui — behind Dalits, behind everyone.
These confident and properly secular ‘minority’ voices of India may have realised that it will take a Narendra Modi to help Muslims take their rightful places amongst the empowered and prosperous of this country.
Besides, if the 175 million Muslims and 50 odd million of other minorities are truly brought into the mainstream, Pakistan may have to look elsewhere to export its terror.
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/exposing-the-farce-in-secularisms-name.html
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