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Muslim intelligentsia trashes BJP's overtures at seminar

The Bharatiya Janata Party's overtures to Muslims has apparently not cut much ice with the community, with Muslim intellectuals asserting that the party cannot be trusted and should be prevented from coming to power.

Participating in a seminar on 'the role of Muslims in present day politics' organised by the Aligarh Muslim University's old students forum, political scientists and professors from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jamia Hamdard and the AMU said the community should "tactically vote'' to prevent the BJP from coming to power.

The consensus at the seminar was that the BJP was a ''communal party'', in whose regime the largest minority community would not be safe.

Another point of concurrence was that Muslims should shed their political apathy and assert their voice to stop the community's marginalisation in the Indian polity.

After the Ayodhya demolition, the two discernible trends in the community were either to withdraw totally from the political process or to set up a political party of its own. ''Neither of these are feasible options. Muslims cannot define their role autonomously. They have to go along with others,'' said Professor Imtiaz Ahmed of JNU. Describing the withdrawal from politics as a ''suicidal decision'', Professor Imtiaz Ahmed said the mere 22 per cent Muslim voter turnout in the 1996 general election had cost the community dearly.

However, the speakers also conceded that the intelligentsia had failed the community and not provided able leadership. Muslims, who constitute 12 per cent of the country's population, had 60 per cent of people living below the poverty line and had a literacy rate of only 38 per cent.

"Whatever the Muslims have demanded from various political parties has always been conceded. It has been our fault that instead of highlighting the real issues of illiteracy, poverty, backwardness and unemployment, the community raised emotive issues,'' Professor Ahmed added.

Professor M H Qureshi of JNU criticised the community's reluctance to even discuss issues like a uniform civil code. For too long, Muslims have been only reacting to issues instead of setting their own agenda, he added.

Professor Z M Khan of Jamia Milia Islamia said the polarisation of the Muslims's political identity was a significant factor and was of much importance in the election. ''Recognising this importance, even parties which have never ideologically bothered about Muslims are making brotherly gestures towards us this time,'' he said.

Professor Khan also felt that the gradual building up of a high quality Muslim middle class in the 50 years after Partition was a positive development. Calling upon the elite not to be alienated from the rest of the community, he said Muslims should mobilise their own resources to provide leadership to the community.

UNI

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