Dalits and Muslims have been the “vote banks” of India’s ruling party, Indira Gandhi’s Congress. These two sections mainly decide the fate of any party during the elections. And that is why the different parties, and the Congress in particular have been cultivating the two. Even the rabidly anti-Dalit and anti-Muslim, BJP, the political arm of the RSS, has started cultivating them.
Every available bright boy of these two sections is recruited by the ever-watchful Congress. So much so, these communities hardly have any leader outside the Congress. But what is the treatment given to Dalits and Muslims by the Congress? The very fact that in the entire Union Cabinet of Indira Gandhi, there is only one Cabinet rank Minister from Muslim community (Ghani Khan Choudhry) – forming about 15% of India’s population is enough to prove the treatment meted out to Muslims.
The position of Dalits – forming about 30% of the population – is still worse: one Cabinet Minister (Shankaranand with a useless portfolio). In every walk of life Dalits and Muslims are not only being neglected, but persecuted. The little property, their very life and the honour of their women are in constant danger. Atrocities on them are a daily feature. Anti-Muslim riots have ceased to be news. The recent mass murders of hundreds of Muslims in Assam has hit headlines in international Press but India’s “free press” has nothing to say. At the United Nations, the Assam killings figured during the debate and the Egyptian delegate referred to the killings of Dalits and Muslims in India. The French delegate said caste and untouchability is killing Indians (Times of India, March 20). When it comes to Muslims, Hindus do not mind even drinking their blood without ceasing to talk about non-violence. On one side the Gandhi film and TV publicity puff on Gandhi is going on feverishly and at the same time, the Hindus have mounted attacks on Muslims, Christians, Dalits and tribals. Hindus alone are capable of such a double talk.
Be that as it may, the point is Dalits and Muslims despite all the ill-treatment and persecution have been continuously voting only for Indira Gandhi. That is the beauty of the slaves enjoying their slavery in India. The slaves of India do not even know they are slaves. Far from knowing, they are actually enjoying their slavery oblivious of the fact that the Congress has been their worst enemy and is responsible for their existing plight. But in the latest Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, for the first time the Muslims revolted against the Congress – although in their anger they have jumped from frying pan to fire. Doesn’t matter. The most surprising part of it is that even the Jamaat-ul–Ulema which is actually a Congress organisation, has for the first time gathered courage to revolt against Indira Gandhi. That its leaders like Moulana Assad Madni and Shah Nawaz Khan should threaten Indira Gandhi of civil disobedience, that too during the Non-Aligned Conference in Delhi, came as a bombshell to Indira Gandhi. The threat if carried out would have brought international repercussions because several Muslim Heads of States were present at the conference and already several Muslim countries in the world had expressed concern over the mass killings of Muslim minorities in India. The letter written by Shah Nawaz Khan to Mrs. Gandhi was more or less like the “controversial” letter to her by the 45 Muslim MPs. Not only that, much of what is contained in the letter was like the resolution passed some years back by Indira Gandhi’s own toothless National Integration Council. It is said the rank and file of the Jamaat-ul-Ulema was angry over the series of anti-Muslim riots in India and they threatened the leadership if it did not revolt against Mrs. Gandhi even at this stage when the Muslims in two major states have thrown the Congress out. This was said to be the provocation for the “Save Muslims, save India” threat it gave.
It is this threat that sent Indira Gandhi reeling and made her announce yet another committee. The moment someone makes noise, silence them by announcing a committee to go into their grievances – this is the ‘Hindu genius’. The aggrieved parties fall back fully satisfied. We have several committees and even commissions. The latest one, the Justice Sarkaria Commission on Centre State relations is yet another effort to silence the brave Sikhs and the Southern Dravidian nationalism. The Minorities Commission is already there headed by a retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But what is the use? The Chairman has complained that it is not yet given statutory status. Besides this commission, there is a high power committee headed by Dr. Gopal Singh. Now to silence the angry Muslims, the Government has announced yet another useless committee consisting of all Union Cabinet Ministers. Except Syed Shahàbuddin, MP – the lone crusader for Muslim cause making all the noise and in turn getting branded by the Hindus as a communalist, the other Congress Muslim MPs are sleeping. Even a respected Muslim leader like Rafiq Zakaria has joined the Hindu chorus against Shahbuddin. One Muslim Central Minister went to Saudi Arabia and assured there that the Muslims are living very happily in India: Perhaps he meant that he was happy because he was a Minister. As long as they are happy, to them the whole society looks happy. It is only when they are thrown out and find themselves in difficulty that they think of Muslims. Fortunately these worms among Muslims have been taught a lesson in the recent Assembly elections.
We don’t know how long Muslims will feel satisfied with a mere assurance of lollipops. Here we have to congratulate the UP Muslim League for successfully completing its “fill the jail” agitation after the pro-Congress Jamaat-e-Ulema backed out of its earlier threat. Volunteers from all over UP courted arrests in batches of 50 every day from Feb. 25 to March 6. In all, 805 courted arrests. The Calcutta-based All India Muslim Conference has also decided to stage a big demonstration in Delhi and court arrest “protesting against killings of Muslims all over India in the wake of frequent communal riots”. Meanwhile, in its policy statement issued, the Majlise Mushawarat on March 3, has endorsed and adopted the memorandum which was presented by 45 Muslim MPs to Indira Gandhi. The said memorandum contains more or less the same demands as made by the UP Muslim League and also covers the issue over which the Muslim Conference proposes to stage the demonstration. The Indian Union Muslim League is one of the constituents of the Mushawarat and its central secretary, G.M. Banatwala, is the convener of the committee set up to review the Mushawarat’s constitution. Muslims have no proper political leadership in India. Nor have they seriously discussed their position. They do not even know why they are being killed. How can they know this, unless they know who the enemy is? Without making a study, is it possible to defend themselves against the enemy? They have not even identified the enemy! How long they will get themselves confined to their religious shell? Do they know that 1,000 of them were shot dead at Moradabad when they were engaged in prayer only? Muslims should note that their liberation does not lie in political parties. If possible they must refuse to vote during elections. They must pin faith in their own party which has to be formed. We do not know what the leaders of Arab countries are doing when their kith and kin in the world’s second largest Muslim country are being slaughtered. The Indian Muslims can’t rely upon these Arabs whose oil wealth is going to enrich America which, in turn is militarily helping Israel kill Muslims. So the Indian Muslims must ponder deeply.
Fortunately the religious leadership of India’s Muslims is good. They must immediately get together and do something. There is no time to waste. We, on our side are ever ready to place our services at the disposal of any such move to depoliticise the Muslims and bend their energies towards a common cause. The religion of Islam is closest to socialism. If the Muslims of India have not still buckled despite the combined onslaughts of the RSS and Indira Gandhi, the credit goes to Islam. Therefore, it is time that Islam reawakened the slumbering Muslims. Let them come out of their deep slumber and assert themselves. Let them stop hankering for more lollipops.
