Did Rahul put a nail in Congress' Muslim vote-bank coffin?

While relentless criticism of the Congress-led UPA government in mainstream political narratives was gradually making the party’s traditional vote stronghold - the minorities - suspicious of its motives, it might be the party’s vice president Rahul Gandhi who has contributed the most in making all their fears seem a step closer to coming true. While Gandhi, in his now infamous statement in a Madhya Pradesh rally, was trying to pin the BJP down for fanning communal tensions and violence, he ended up with both his feet in his mouth when he said that he has been informed by the IB that ISI was trying to keep in touch with disgruntled Muslim riot victims in Muzaffarnagar. Not only did it make the Intelligence Bureau’s priorities seem questionable, it also, to several sections of the minority population, seemed like an insinuation about their loyalty to the country. At a recently held convention in Delhi, the growing disenchantment with the Congress among the Muslims, became fairly evident. The event held at Delhi’s India Islamic Centre was titled ‘Siyasi Gulami Kab Tak’ (Political slavery, for how long?) saw Ulemas and other leading intellectuals from the community voice their concerns about the welfare of Muslims in the country and the political hand wringing around them. [caption id=“attachment_1219709” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Rahul Gandhi. PTI.[/caption] Mufti Aejaz Arshad, an All India Muslim Personnel Law Board member and organiser of the event set the tone of the meet right at the beginning by expressing his disapproval of Rahul Gandhi’s ISI remark. Interestingly, he seemed to choose a term Narendra Modi routinely uses to attack Rahul Gandhi - shehzada. “While some Congress leaders have chosen to clarify Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, he has not said anything to clear the controversy. Has shehzada become so big and so arrogant that he chooses to ignore our concerns? He should apologise," he said. Arshad added that Muslims are not of weak morals so as to revolt against their own country. Also, with a hint of arrogance that possibly comes from a sharp awareness of the community’s bargaining power in the vote bank politics, Arshad declared, “If we have kept them in power for so long. Now they have to explain what they have done for us. If we have kept them in power, we also can throw them out of power.” The event, which saw speaker after speaker lambasting contemporary politics especially the Congress, saw no participation from the Muslim representatives of leading political parties. It was not surprising though, given the convention seemed to be a call for freedom from political slavery. In what could be considered quite the bad news for Congress, the Muslim leaders who gathered at the meet were of the opinion that though they couldn’t possibly form a front and win an election, they could influence voter opinion to an extent to defeat any party or leader. With another such event lined up in Patna, political parties, especially, Congress should be really worried. While some leaders targeted the Samajwadi Party, given their track-record and overtly pro-Muslim politics, the dissent it seems will be short-lived. Maulana Wali Rahmani, Secretary All India Personal Law Board, was one of the voices, whose disapproval might cost the Congress quite a bit of its reputation. He expressed dismay at Rahul Gandhi’s ISI statement. Also, he hit the Congress where it hurts the most saying that the party, which Muslims have supported for so long, is now only concerned with its first family’s interests. Rahmani rued the fact that the Congress did not have any more time to reflect on the principles of the likes of Abdul Kalam Azad, Maulana Hussain Ahmed Madni. Rahmani, however, seemed equally disillusioned with the BJP. He said that sections of the community and he himself has no expectations from the BJP given the party’s unfavourable equation with the Muslims down decades. They, however, have legitimate expectations from the Congress he said pointing out that no state Congress president was a Muslim, no Chief Minister was a Muslim, no Leader of Opposition was a Muslim and even in other positions of prominence, the number of Muslims was negligible. Rahmani challenged minority affairs minister K Rehman Khan for a debate with him for what UPA government has done to implement the Sachar committee report. However, Mufti Arshad clarified that their disillusionment with the Congress doesn’t necessarily add up to support for the BJP or Narendra Modi. “Our opposition for the Congress doesn’t mean support for Modi. However, we also understand that Congress has been playing on our fears for long. After all, what will Narendra Modi do to us, what Congress hasn’t already. Modi, or anyone else can’t hurt us more that Congress has. How long can we live in the fear of Narendra Modi?” said Arshad. He added that Modi’s inability to stop the riots that killed at least a 1000 Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 is a still a matter of serious concern, but the community was equally apprehensive of LK Advani after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. Commenting on the magnitude of violence allegedly spawned by the two BJP leaders Arshad said while riots post Babri Masjid sparked communal riots across the country, Modi’s was responsible for violence just in one state. “But now, Advani is being considered secular by so many people. Modi hasn’t done anything to make us anxious after he was nominated to be the PM candidate.We are keeping a close watch on his actions and speeches. However, the fact that he doesn’t seem all that fearful anymore will not necessarily translate into votes.”