Politics happening in the name of Muslims in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and the southern and eastern states.
New Delhi: In states like Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, and across southern and eastern regions, political agendas have frequently been shaped around the interests of Muslims.
Before India’s independence, one of the prominent Muslim leaders and educators, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, said in a large gathering in Punjab in 1883: “The term Hindu, which you use, is not just a religious term for me. In my view, every resident of Hindustan can call themselves a Hindu. I regret that many people do not consider me a Hindu, although I am a citizen of Hindustan.”
Similarly, in a significant gathering in Patna on January 27, 1883, he said: “We both breathe the air of India, drink the sacred water of the Ganges and Yamuna, and eat from the produce of the land of India. Muslims have adopted many Hindu customs, and Hindus have embraced many Muslim practices. We have blended so much that we developed a new language, Urdu, which is neither a Muslim nor a Hindu language. Therefore, if we leave aside the divine part, the matter of religion, we must undoubtedly accept that our country is one, our community is one, and the well-being and unity of the nation depend on mutual sympathy and love. Disagreements, disputes, and divisions will destroy us.”
Why, in today’s era, Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi can’t speak such words for Muslims? Instead, they support the separate identity of Muslims, reservations, madrasas, waqf boards, hijabs, and other extremist stances. Even Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), who opposes them by calling them hypocrites, is only concerned with protecting Muslim rights and fighting for their issues. The most dangerous aspect is that Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and his sister, AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, aligns with the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Kerala, which works toward establishing a radical Islamic state and implementing Sharia law globally. In the south, Congress relies on Jamaat and the Muslim League, and in Jammu and Kashmir, it leans on the backing of the National Conference.
History also shows that due to Congress’s mistakes, leaders like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, who initially advocated for Muslim welfare, ended up aligning with those demanding a separate country, leading to the creation of Pakistan under the leadership of Mohammad Ali Jinnah. This raises the recurring question in society, the media, and politics: who is the true Muslim leader who will genuinely safeguard the interests of Muslims, who will be accepted by the community, and who will ensure the participation of all in a developed, modern India?
It is also important to remember that in 1903, Lord Curzon called for the the division of Bengal to disrupt Hindu-Muslim unity and harmony. In response, there were sharp reactions across Indian society with numerous meetings and protests. In 1905, Liaquat Hussain wrote a letter to Surendranath Banerjee urging a boycott as the only solution to oppose the partition of Bengal. But in today’s era, Congress doesn’t have a prominent Muslim leader, and in the past decades, Muslim leaders who tried to rise have faced opposition from the party leadership.
Today, figures like Sharad Pawar, who claim to be the protectors of Muslims, were staunch critics of Abdul Rahman Antulay in Maharashtra during Indira Gandhi’s era. From Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi, even loyal leaders like Ahmed Patel, who served the party for decades, were never considered for top positions like President, Vice President, or Party President. Veteran leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad left the Congress due to Rahul Gandhi and his advisors’ attitude. Salman Khurshid, despite being a prominent lawyer and having won two elections for Congress, faced defeats in recent elections and secured only third or fourth place in his constituency of Farrukhabad. After a lot of manoeuvring, he became the president of the India Islamic Cultural Centre in Delhi.
In the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, Congress is dependent on the support of Sharad Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party. Sharad Pawar has been involved with local leaders who have criminal records, and has ties to notorious mafias, while also facing accusations in the 1992 Mumbai riots. Given his party’s history of alliances and break-ups and his association with the divided Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray with its extremist views, can the Muslim community fully trust him? Sharad Pawar, who harboured dreams of becoming Prime Minister since the time P.V. Narasimha Rao held the position, has seen his base in Maharashtra weaken. Therefore, how can he expect to gain the support of Muslims in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal? Now, his closest allies, Ajit Pawar and Nawab Malik, are contesting elections alongside the real Nationalist Congress Party flag, election symbol, allied with the real Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and BJP.
Digvijay Singh, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, who has been involved in Muslim, backward, and Dalit politics for decades, suffered heavy defeats in Muslim-majority areas like Bhopal in elections. This time, he lost even in his hometown of Rajgarh. He had been the patron of controversial local Muslim leaders, often providing ministerial positions and perks to political opportunists in his government. So how can Rahul Gandhi gain the trust of Muslims through his leadership? In West Bengal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was made the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, but he himself lost the election this time.
Congress no longer has a prominent Muslim leader in West Bengal or Assam. On the other hand, Asaduddin Owaisi and his party have some influence in Telangana and a few areas of Andhra Pradesh, but they have won only a handful of seats in other Muslim-majority regions.
This is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP have been winning elections at both the national and state levels. Their focus on providing equal benefits to all communities, classes, castes, Dalits, tribals, and likewise, through programs in education, healthcare, food, housing, water, electricity, farming, and grants, has been appreciated by voters. Moreover, BJP’s senior leader and long-time propagandist Indresh Kumar, through the Muslim National Front, provides arguments similar to what Sir Syed Ahmad Khan once made: “While religious practices may differ, all citizens of Hindustan are Hindus by nationality.”