New Delhi
“Politics of appeasement” is one of the most common phrases widely debated in the Indian political ecosystem not just for how it is used but also who is using it, for it also can be argued to be taken as “politics of inclusiveness” depending on who’s at the awarding and receiving end, experts said.
Prof Badri Narayan debated with Aishwarya Pandit Sharma at the opening session of the Festival of Ideas hosted by NewsX, The Sunday Guardian and India News that are a part of iTV network, as to whether institutionlisation of the phrase has contributed to its capturing our political space.
Appeasement is a word that came to be associated with the Congress since the 1950s, said the professor, for favouring one group over the other, and BJP was able to raise this bogey against the grand old party.
Prof Narayan, who authored books like Kanshiram: Leader of the Dalits and Republic of Hindutva, said “things have to be contextualized in the 1950s as against today as we have to see how it has been operating and its impact”.
Rashid Kidwai, the moderator who is a prolific writer and has authored many books on the Congress, said as per the Sachar Committee report, a particular community benefitted due to this brand of politics.
The 2006 report sparked unending discussions on Muslim Indian inequality.
The Congress Factor
Dr Pandit Sharma, who has authored “Claiming Citizenship and Nation”, said this kind of politics has a colonial legacy. “Where we were not seen as individuals but blocks—Hindu blocks, Muslim blocks, Christian blocks, later these became community interest like Rajput, Kurmi, etc. And a big part of the reason for appeasement concentrated power to communities.”
She stressed that in Congress’ extensive use of the term “secularism” that had its own definition for each one, Muslims fell short and were shunted out of services. The representation is symbolic and only to certain sections, Kidwai pointed out. Only the elite of these sections make it to such merit list as they were visible and have the power to speak.
Of late, the PM’s outreach to various sections of the community has showed that Muslim voting have added to electoral success of the BJP even in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. Professor Narayan pointed out that same used to happen with Kanshiram’s politics. The Bahujan Samaj Party leader saw the community as a stakeholder not a recipient, he explained.
So was there oversight by the makers of our Constitution? Badri Narayan said it depends on how one views that document – a popularity or political discourse, and how a political party uses that discourse.