UP polls: Expect no pause in communal hate rhetoric

Communal and religious divide is fast emerging as the last frontier of an increasingly cacophonous and raucous campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh. If the fixation with caste and sub-castes was not enough, blatant appeals to divisive tendencies are setting a new record in campaign lows with every passing day.

Polling is over in some communally sensitive western UP constituencies, but expect no let up in attempts at polarizing voters on communal lines soon. As campaigning moves into constituencies with high Muslim presence, expect more provocative speeches and below the belt attacks from the leaders.

“What UP minister Azam Khan said in Ghaziabad on 7 April was a new low in campaign ethics, but it is not the lowest. We may see more provocative statements in days to come,” said Prof Ashish Shukla, a professor in a Lucknow University college. “The fact that politicians mostly get away with it is taken as licence for others to try something more grotesque,” he adds.

Azam Khan’s statement on 9 March at Sambhal appeared to confirm this, as he asked voters to “avenge” the murderers of Muzaffarnagar by pressing the button, in an apparent reply to what Amit Shah said in Shamli a few days ago.

“This shows that the stakes for all parties are very high in this election. For the SP, it is a question of the credibility of its government headed by Akhilesh Yadav since a poor showing by the party would indicate that the people have lost faith in its style of governance,” says Shukla.

For the Bahujan Samaj Party, it is a time to reassert its primacy as the party that can fight the SP, as has happened in past Assembly elections. For the Congress, too, it is a question of posting a credible performance in a state from where Sonia Gandhi and Rahul are contesting.

“But the stakes are much higher for the BJP with both Modi and party president Rajnath Singh contesting from the state,” says Ravindra Jaiswal, a veteran journalist. Many political observers are of the opinion that Modi’s presence gives a boost to the polarization process though he himself has veered clear of making any communal statement. He is believed to be a polarising figure and that prompts his rivals to tune up their communal pitch.

On earlier occasions, the Congress candidate from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, talked about the predominance of Muslims in his constituencies, and went on to say that he’d “cut Narendra Modi into pieces” if he tried to turn the state into another Gujarat. A few days after the disclosure of the Masood video, BJP’s Amit Shah told a gathering of Rajputs, Gurjars and Jats in Shamli that the elections were an opportunity to “take revenge” on those who had “insulted” them during the Muzaffarnagar riots.

Another example of religion-oriented campaign was Sonia Gandhi’s call to Muslims to “avoid the split of secular votes” after her meeting with the Delhi Jama Masjid’s Shahi Imam, and later the Imam’s endorsement of the Congress.

What Azam Khan said about “Muslim soldiers fighting in the Kargil conflict to protect Indian territory,” is considered anti-national by most politicians, but the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and other SP leader see nothing wrong in it. Their interpretation is that Azam merely highlighted Muslims’ contribution to India’s defence.

Akhilesh Yadav said “What is wrong in Azam Khan saying Muslims helped us win Kargil? Is it not true that Abdul Hameed won a Param Vir Chakra?” Azam Khan himself has justified his remarks, saying his aim was to “make the nation realise the sacrifice of Muslim community.”

Athar Husain, director of Centre for Objective Research and Development and an expert on socio-political aspects of the Muslim community, agrees with this view and says that the “selective” portrayal of controversial parts of campaigning by the media is more to blame for such polarization. “The BJP’s manifesto is a case in point. It talked about so many other things related to development etc, but only the part pertaining to Ram temple was highlighted,” he says, adding that voters in all communities are wise enough not to be influenced by such polarizing attempts.

The UP Congress spokesman Virendra Madan too, feels that the voters are wise enough not to get influenced by such remarks. “Azam Khan is used to stoke controversies to remain in the limelight,” he said, adding that Khan had recently threatened the state government officials and employees that he will “see them” after the elections.

He has demanded that the Election Commission must take strict action against him, a demand echoed by the state BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak. He said that the SP had a “communal agenda” since it had also advocated reservation in the police force based on community and religious lines. “The SP and Congress have always supported each other and the Congress must clarify its stand on Azam’s remarks,” he added. Incidentally Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh too has not lagged behind in making statements that border on personal attacks on Modi.

Parts of west UP including Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Amroha, Badayun, Aonla, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Kheri will see voting on 17 April.