Shazia Ilmi controversy: 'Secularism' is a cake no party can overlook
Congress, SP, VHP, AAP... everybody wants a share of the cake
Take for example, the series of controversies around the secular-communal question that have rocked the country's general election in the second decade of the 21st century. While the chief of the Congress party is discussing with a top Muslim cleric how not to split the Muslim vote-bank in this election so that the BJP doesn't win, a right-wing leader like Pravin Togadia is making strong statements against the Muslim minorities. And now, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader is seen advising the Muslims to become communal and not remain secular. In between, a senior Muslim leader of the Samajwadi Party, a party known for its ideology of social justice, even communalised the Indian Army.
Congress always took advantage of the Muslims's disadvantage
The secular-communal debate is a structural problem of Indian politics. The Congress, because of historical reasons, has projected itself as the real guardian of the Muslims in the post-independence period. The Muslims in this country did not have an alternative to the party which cashed in on the secular legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru and slowly were reduced to a monolithic vote-bank because of little viable electoral options. The Congress took advantage of this disadvantage of the minorities for a long period after the independence.
But the situation was hit by the decline of the Congress in post-Indira Gandhi days and the gradual rise of the right-wing BJP. The first factor led to the rise of a number of regional parties and they hijacked the Congress's idea of social coalition and began presenting them as the real custodian of the minorities. The rise of the BJP, which just tried to take the game to the opposite extreme by fuelling majoritarian sentiments, also helped these regional forces.
The likes of Mulayam Singh and Lalu Prasad flourished by cashing in on the widening gap between the minority versus majority politics, known as secular-communal debate in decent terms.
Each
of
these
parties,
whether
the
Congress,
BJP
or
Samajwadi
Party,
have
toyed
with
the
idea
of
minorities
from
various
angles
just
to
compete
for
the
political
resources.
Leaders
from
these
parties
don't
hesitate
to
go
to
the
extreme
end
to
either
appease
or
threaten
the
minorities
during
the
elections.
That
is
how
politics
in
India
has
been
structured.
Shazia
Ilmi
also
does
the
same
because
this
is
how
India's
electoral
politics
functions
And when a leader like Shazia Ilmi flirts with the same structural problem, one feels more disappointed than shocked. It is more disappointing because being a member of a party which claims itself to be the representative of a resurgent India, Ilmi has not been successful to get over the traps of structuralism. She asks the Muslims not be secular and turn communal. Her words, which could have been put in a better way, create more confusion because in India, the meanings of communalism and secularism have been messed up. Even a Muslim reacts when Ilmi said Muslims are too secular. Why this stereotyping, even after 66 years of independence?
Okay Shazia, Muslims need somebody of their own but that own is Kejriwal?
Ilmi,
a
leader
of
a
party
which
had
raised
much
hope
in
Indian
political
circles
recently
and
still
is
a
force
to
reckon
with,
proves
that
politicians
in
this
country,
no
matter
what
school
of
thought
they
represent,
feel
compelled
to
think
around
the
same-old
vote-bank
politics.
Or
else,
why
should
Ilmi
ask
the
Muslims
to
vote
for
someone
who
they
feel
as
their
own
and
it
is
none
other
than
Arvind
Kejriwal?
Structuralism
is
a
difficult
nut
to
crack.
It
is
because
of
this
that
we
see
even
a
Christian
Catholic
chief
of
the
oldest
party
in
the
country
and
a
youth
leader
of
a
revolutionary
outfit
donning
the
same-old
mantle
of
'secular
Indian'.
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Read in Tamil: முஸ்லிம்கள் மதச்சார்புடன் இருக்க வேண்டும்: ஆம் ஆத்மியின் ஷாஜியா இல்மி பேச்சால் சர்ச்சை
Read in Telugu: మతోన్మాదులుగా మారాలి: ఇల్మి వివాదాస్పదం