Muslim anger, which rocked the Congress boat in Uttar Pradesh, is now haunting the party in Delhi’s municipal elections, scheduled April 15, as well.
Muslim anger, which rocked the Congress boat in Uttar Pradesh, is now haunting the party in Delhi’s municipal elections, scheduled April 15, as well.
Already posters, banners and pamphlets are being distributed in Muslim dominated Jamia Masjid and Okhla localities raising issues of the Batla House “encounter” and arrests and alleged illegal detention of Muslim youth in terrorist cases.
One such handbill reads, “The Congress government must explain, is it Jamia Nagar or Terror City, Why no judicial inquiry of Batla House encounter? And why educated Muslim youth are being targeted?”
Even the outgoing chief minister Mayawati believed that shifting of almost all Muslim votes in favour of the Samajwadi Party was one of the foremost reasons for its spectacular success.
Analysts here believe that overwhelming sense of insecurity, targeting of Muslim youth in the name of banned SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India), a Muslim youth body, were major factors why the Muslims rejected the Congress in the UP elections.
Noted satirist Asrar Jameie, summed up the Muslim mood against Congress in a couplet: “Kyon Samjhte Aa rahe hain log Bechara Hamein, Bhai Charey Ka yeh Matlab Ab naa hona chahiye, Hum to Uun Ko Bhai Samjhen Aur voh Chaaraa haemin” (Why do others think of us as helpless, Brotherhood should not mean that while we treat them brothers, they treat us {cannon} fodder).
Alleging that the Congress has kept the Muslim community hostage, offering little choice, he said the Congress has acted like a muscleman “Earlier, the Congress had subjected the community to frequent communal riots and now targeting it in the name of fighting terrorism, both of which have been rejected by Muslims in UP,” he said, explaining why the Congress has a trust deficit with
Muslims despite doling out reservation and other gifts.
Echoing his views, Dr Arshi Khan, a professor of political science in the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), said, “Continuous targeting of Muslims in Azamgarh and other places in the name of fighting terror was seen by Muslims as orchestrated by the Congress and aided by the BSP government in the state.” Though, they did not make it a raging issue fearing a backlash from the BJP, it was high on their minds when they voted, he maintained.
How deep and crucial these issues are being perceived by the community is also clear from the programmes and statements of major community organisations made during the period of election campaign in Uttar Pradesh.
Immediately after the imposition of ban on the SIMI last month, spokesperson of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and general secretary of Welfare Party, Dr Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas termed the ban illegal and said, “The ban has no basis.
After every two years, the IB and the Police apprehend some innocent youth and frame cases against them to justify the ban. We will take this issue to the people and expose the government.”
The All India Milli Council will hold a national convention entitled “Muslim Youth Protection Convention” on March 31 at New Delhi.
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