Muslims dying for BJP? Churn seen in minority mood in pockets of Bengal

In Delhi, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid has declined to invite Narendra Modi to the anointment ceremony of his son as his deputy. In Birbhum, West Bengal, three Muslims were killed in clashes between BJP and Trinamool Congress workers last Monday. And no, these Muslims apparently do not belong to the Trinamool, but (surprise) the BJP. They switched from the TMC to BJP, and that was one reason for their murders. In the recent Maharashtra elections, the Islamist Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) drew a chunk of the Muslim vote, winning two seats and giving a tough fight in two more. The thread connecting these three reports is an invisible one: Muslims are changing their political colours and preferences. The old Muslim vote bank is bust, but a new one is just emerging out of chrysalis. It can be reshaped by political parties that have got the message. No Muslim on the street gives a hoot whether the Shahi Imam invites Modi or Nawaz Sharif to his son’s anointment. Muslims abhor nepotism as much as anyone else. If anything, the community is angry with the Shahi Imam for stoking the same prejudice where Muslim patriotism is suspect till proven otherwise. Calling Sharif and not Modi has been blasted by every Indian Muslim worth his salt.[caption id=“attachment_1784045” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Muslim community leaders with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] The rise of the MIM in Maharashtra is another signal that Muslims are turning away from “secular” parties that cannot deliver them their due. If they can’t give us the basics, why not try a party that at least looks like it has Muslims interests at heart, is the new thinking among Muslims. The most surprising change is what is happening in parts of West Bengal, post the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Unlike elsewhere, the BJP obtained some degree of Muslim votes in this state, and this is one reason for the Trinamool to become insecure about it. Muslims losing their lives for the BJP is a story one would never have expected read about in one’s lifetime. More so, a party headed by Narendra Modi. But, The Indian Express reports, this may be what has happened in Birbhum’s Makra village, where three Muslims were killed in clashes, and the BJP claims some of them as its martyrs. Since nuances will be lost if one generalises what is happening in some minority-dominated villages of Birbhum, I am deliberately quoting the Express report at some length on how this BJP shift is happening. “Sheikh Saukat Ali, 61, father of Tausif (one of those killed), explains, ‘This village, with 1,200 voters, was a traditional support base of Forward Bloc. However, in 2009, all of us joined TMC. This was one of the strongest support bases of TMC under the Sainthia block. But in the past three years, we did not get our dues under MNREGA. The TMC panchayat members have taken away our job cards and bank pass books too. Those who protested were tortured’.” Clearly, the Muslim shifted support for economic reasons rather than communal or political ones. The Express report says more: “Ali’s anger at the TMC does not end there. ‘There was infighting over sharing extortion money in the village, and resentment started brewing,’ he adds. ‘We found that the minorities were being neglected by the TMC as they were by the CPM before. We needed a shelter. This July, all of us – barring 12 houses – in the village of Makra joined BJP’.” Clearly, at least some Muslims believe that if all state governments are going to run extortion and protection rackets, why not seek a better deal from the BJP, despite its communal tag? May be some Muslims believe that if you do need protection, why not seek it from the party against whom the protection is being offered? The Express report adds data to buttress this shift in Muslim preferences. “A cross-section of villagers and political workers at the panchayat level told The Indian Express that over 250 villages in at least 24 gram panchayats spread over three assembly segments of Birbhum – Sainthia, Rampurhat and Bolpur – have swung towards the BJP in recent months. Significantly, the three assembly segments are dominated by minorities, with Muslims constituting around 60 percent of the population. During the days leading up to and immediately after the Lok Sabha polls, voting patterns showed a clear shift of the CPM’s support base to the BJP in North Bengal and some other districts. In Birbhum, it was the TMC that was losing its base to BJP.” What the subterranean shifts in the Muslim mood – not just in Bengal, but elsewhere too – suggest is that there is a huge rethink going on in the community at its base, even though visible faces like the Shahi Imam may be playing their own games to retain control of their flocks. The chances are Muslims are not interested in the old communal slogans, but want a share of the Indian growth pie which they have been denied in the name of secularism. This allowed “secular” politicians to offer Muslims protection without economic opportunity. Secularism has thus been a bum deal for Muslims. The key question is who will capitalise on this shift in Muslim voter mood? Will it be the MIMs or the secular parties or even the BJP? The BJP, which has a serious Muslim perception deficit problem , has a huge opportunity if it is able to really focus on economic empowerment of all instead of focusing on vote-banks. Consider what is happening in parts of Bengal: Muslims are shifting allegiance for basic reasons like not being paid MNREGA wages on time and over extortion rackets run by Trinamool politicians. This means any leader who offers genuine economic opportunity – which is the BJP slogan, Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas – to Muslims will be seen positively. If the BJP wants a long-term lock on power, it must create a new policy for the future. First, sideline the voluble parivar that is raising a cacophony over non-issues like Love Jihad and focus on economic development in districts with a heavy minority concentration. Second, induct young and moderate Muslim members into the party instead of courting the Shahi Imams and clerics of various hues. These leaders are past their sell-by date. If the BJP becomes the first political party that goes beyond tokenism, it will reap huge rewards. But for that, it has to drop its pet hobbyhorses of yore.