The Leitmotif Of The Ongoing General Elections Seems To Be Islam And Muslims

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 30 April 2024 The drift or leitmotif of the ongoing General Elections seems to be Islam and Muslims. Examples are for you to see: Chief minister of UP Adityanath alleged on Thursday that the Congress’ attempt to give reservations to Muslims from the OBC quota in Karnataka was part of its agenda to push the country towards “Islamisation and division.” Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday sparked a row after he alleged that the Congress wants to “give your children's property to Muslims.” The PM said a few days ago that Muslims were infiltrators who churned out children. It's now free for all. Long ago, K R Narayanan, the former President of India who studied Political Science in England under Professor Harold Laski, wrote that Professor Laski predicted that the future politics of India would be based on the flagellation of Muslims! When Laski opined this, India was under Congress rule and Muslims were relatively better. But hats off to the great man who could foresee! Exactly the same is happening at the moment when Muslims are at the receiving end, thanks to the discriminatory politics of BJP. Astute political analysts are of the view that in a democracy, a leading political party often picks up a specific group of people for target practice. It invariably happens when the leading party is unsure of its overall performance at the hustings. The current political dispensation is not sure whether it'll be re-elected. But it's certain that polarisation will help in such iffy situations. India is already polarised on religious lines. Hindus and Muslims are now clearly divided. BJP is trying to widen this gulf and repeating its narrative of Muslim-bashing. Otherwise also, Muslims have always been used as pawns on the political chessboard. Congress may have been sympathetic towards Muslims, it also used them as a vote-bank. Way back in 1972, Amitabh Bachchan acted in an immensely forgettable and super-flop film, 'Raste ka Patthar.' But the film had a meaningful and relevant title-song penned by Anand Bakshi, "Raste Ka Patthar Qismat Ne Mujhe Bana Diya, Jo Raaste Se Guzra Ik Thokar Laga Gaya." Let me paraphrase the song in today's context, "Raste Ka Patthar Qismat Ne Musalmanon Ko Bana Diya/ Chahe Jis Ki Sarkar Bani, Musalmanon Ko Kya Mila?" (Fate has relegated Muslims to the stones on the street/ Regardless of any political party at the helm, what have they got?). Rabid Hindus like Mr Anburaj will bay for my blood, but no one can deny the fact. Mind you, I ain't a supporter of Muslims or Islam. I just call a spade a spade, nay a shovel. I praise when it's required and condemn when it's needed, regardless of any affiliation or allegiance. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-politics/leitmotif-general-elections-muslims/d/132229 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism