Opinions among the members of the Muslim community over the recent pitch made by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which looks to take the big leap in the assembly elections, vary.
The issue of better representation for the community has always made Muslims look up. With AIMIM deciding to plunge into the state election scene by promising to fill the "representation" gap – it largely means Muslims be given tickets in constituencies with sizable Muslim population to begin with – members of the community have also been going vocal on the subject.
"It has been a long pending demand that the community be better represented. Whosoever does it will be looked up. But frankly, it's too early to comment on the issue. I cannot speak on behalf of the community. Muslims have never really had association with any party. They like to stand on their own, intermingle and want a clean government," said Dr Abdul Sumar Rauf, a resident of Colaba.
Rauf's is not a predicament, but an opinion on how appealing is the new entrant. For a community for which winning ability is the priority – or rather which candidate is the best to defeat the "communal candidate" – opinions vary on how appealing AIMIM really is.
For some, AIMIM gives a ray of hope as it promises to bring better representation to the community. These are people who feel let down by the present parties who they have supported all these years. Many others want to judge that party by the candidates it puts up. For yet others, it's a party that has come with an idea that is passe and needs to be shelved.
"We actually look to do the same we have done with other parties. Our cadre will shout at them like we shout at other parties. They are not coming with an idea that is fresh. Samajwadi Party, Muslim League and the present govt too have tried this out," said Aslam Ghazi, resident of Kurla and member of Jamaat-e-Islami, which is a vocal proponent of Muslim candidature.
Ghazi added, "At the end of the day, a winnable candidate is someone who can trounce a communal person. We look to consolidate votes instead of diversifying it. If votes get divided, that will affect us. If both happen to be from the same community, or a non-Muslim stands in a sure-shot secular seat, we look at the standing of the person in the community. In the past it has happened: Muslims were put up, but non-Muslims have won if they were better."
Standing in the community will matter too. "Their (AIMIM) language has been provocative. Not many welcome that. In any case they have been popular in the south. They do not yet have the kind of social standing that is required for elections," said Afsar Usmani, resident of Mumbra and member of Movement for Peace and Justice that played a role in the publication of the Mehmood-Ur Rehman Committee report.
Usmani added: "People have now started talking like 'if Muslims are communal, why can't Hindus be not communal?' Everyone wants his share, but Muslims are now keen that someone good come up."
Some in the community, however, feel uncomfortable about the AIMIM pitch. "I do not find this appealing. At the end of the day, we are a democracy already divided on these lines. I have friends in all parties and whoever is best suited, should win," said Abdul Fazlani, resident of Bombay Central, who is into export business.
Noorjehan Safia Niaz of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, an NGO that works for women's rights, said: "Muslims representing Muslims is not very healthy. It is sad that ghettoisation has led to only-Muslim/Christian/Dalit constituencies. Insecurity among communities is driving it, but that's not a healthy trend."
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