How can BJP govern India minus Muslims?
Mr. Sudheendra Kulkarni is a noted political analyst. His article on BJP’s defeat in the recently help U.P. elections provides some useful hints for BJP as a political party and also to the parties who vehemently oppose the BJP. Mr. Kulkarni has asked some valid questions in this article. I am venturing to find answers to those questions in this blog.
Question 1. If Mayawati’s triumphant and praiseworthy concept of Sarvajan Samaj (all-inclusive society) has a place for Muslims, why is the BJP so queasy about accommodating Muslims in its own electoral strategy?
Answer: Behan Mayawati’s (BMW) latest experiment with UP politics is very new. It has not been tested by the divisive politics in UP. Behan Mayawati will have difficult time in keeping all constituents of Sarvajan Samaj together. UP is the hot bed for caste and religion politics. It is highly unlikely that this model will succeed unless Behan Mayawati is willing to sacrifice some of the core principles of BSP. It appears to be a power sharing arrangement for now.
BJP does not have problems with Muslims being a party of BJP’s national political agenda. However, BJP is right not to adopt the politics of accommodation for any caste or religion or any other group. In the politics of accommodation, it is impossible to govern a state or country. Different factions pull the party or the government in the different directions to promote their vested interests in politics of accommodation.
However, I have a strong feeling that Muslims have been pushed away by some extreme positions of a faction of BJP. Muslims will be better off working with a government which treats all citizens equally rather than working with so called secular forces that box minorities in their vote banks and use them as needed. My suggestion to Muslims is that they should join BJP in large numbers and try to influence it policies. If thousands of Muslims decide to join BJP, I have no doubt that it will field more Muslim candidates. BJP will have no choice but to accept more people like Navjot Singh Siddhu (minorities) into its political agenda.
Question 2: Why didn’t the BJP field a single Muslim candidate in any of the 403 assembly constituencies in a state where Muslims constitute 18.5 per cent of the population?
Answer: As a party when you do not have a base among a group of population, it is hard to find suitable candidates belonging to that group.
Mr. Kulkarni is right when he finds (partial) justification in BJP’s opposition to the Muslim “appeasement”. You create second class citizens when you adopt policies of appeasement. People do not become independent, self-sufficient and prosperous by taking government’s welfare money (of few hundred rupees every month). They become equal when they have equal opportunities and equal chance to compete with other citizens.
Question 3: But is it practicing its own precept — namely, “Justice for All” — when it neither takes up any just issues of Indian Muslims nor feels morally and ideologically obliged to give due democratic representation to such a huge section of Indian society?
Answer: Dear Mr. Kulkarni, in a free democratic society no one gives representation to anyone. You need to make efforts to find your place in the society, political domain and the government. BJP was in power when India elected a fine and capable President like Mr. Kalam. Let us not forget Najma Heptulla. Late Mr. Sikandar Bhakht was also from BJP. I will not be surprised if more prominent Muslims work with the BJP in the years to come. India badly needs a nationalist agenda and a backbone if it wants to become a permanent member of the UNSC with the Veto power. If India (especially its UPA government) is thinking that other countries would come to India and offer the Veto power, we may be living in a dream world. India will need to flex its muscle and use all types of diplomacy and force the world community to accept India as a veto power on UNSC. It has made a fatal mistake by giving too much importance to Pakistan. Pakistan must be told in clear terms that blocking India’s way to UNSC will permanently damage relations with Pakistan. Let us continue that discussion at some other time because we are focusing on BJP here.
Question 4: How can the BJP hope to govern India if it continues to have an emotional disconnect with Indian Muslims?
Answer: Muslims will gain by coming to the BJP and making it a diverse party. They have a better chance to succeed if they come to BJP because BJP is not run like a family business.
My prediction is that BJP will reach out to Muslims and encourage them to join BJP as members and make a difference themselves. The fact of the matter is that BJP wants Muslim leaders like late Maulana Azad and late Frontier Gandhi to come and join its cadres but it does not know to how to make that possible. BJP moderates like Shri Jaswant Singh may have to do something to bring about the change. India's push for globalization will have serious impact on India's future domestic policies. If a large majority of Indians (including Muslims) do not benefit by India's growth rate @ 9% per annum, Indian politicians better find some other occupation. My gut feeling is that the future Indian elections will be focused on policies not religion or caste.
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