Thursday, September 20, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
COMMUNAL THACKERAY RAISES ALARM OVER SACHAR REPORT’S CALL FOR PROPOTIONAL REPRESENTATION FOR MUSLIMS
Bal Thackeray is one political operator that always goes for the jugular. In his Maharashtra Assembly election eve speech, he openly called on ‘Hindus’ ( not Indians) to unite as only united Hindus can bring Islam to its knees. The virulent election speech was enough for Shiv Sena to have been declared unfit to fight elections on communal grounds. However, no Muslim organisation was courageous enough to risk antagonizing Shiv Sena supremo, and file complaints over Shiv Sena’s recognizance over Bal Thackeray’s religious war on Islam and Muslim voters, while fighting a democratic election in secular India. A tame reference was filed by a NCP member in a magistrate’s court that was more of a diversionary or symbolic strategic move by friends in Sharad Pawar’s so-called secular party, to help out Thackeray. All these ‘secular’ political parties have no qualms joining arch-communalist Shiv Sena, be they Sonia Congress or Sharad Pawar National Congress Party, when it is absolutely a no go situation. They are always prepared to co-opt all disgruntled Shiv Sainiks that junk Thackeray and give them prominent positions in their party, probably to exploit their Hindutva networking that could boost their own pseudo-secular vote bank.
In a move reminiscent of Shivaji’s trip to New Delhi, Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray made his maiden journey to New Delhi, to meet Congress Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, warning him against implementing Sachar Commission report on plight of Muslims, as according to him, this will bring a second partition of the country and country will be deeply divided.
Following up on his son’s clarion call against Indian Muslims, Shiv Sena supremo, who does not hold any formal office in his communal political party, Bal Thackeray very correctly warned that if Sachar Commission’s recommendation over proportional representation for political empowerment of Muslims are in any way implemented, it will ensure 150 seats in the Parliament for the Muslims and that will be a disaster for the nation. According to Mumbai Mirror, Bal Thackeray in an open letter to Prime Minister, published in his party mouth-piece Saamna, wrote: “There are 80 districts across the country, which will are predominantly Muslim. There will be 150 Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha if Sachar’s yardstick is applied and this could further divide the country on religious lines. He added, “the country is already unstable ….. there is political as well as social instability and by going ahead with the Sachar Committee report, the UPA government is pouring oil in the fire.”
One can only marvel at the audacity of this man, who forgets that he himself has been in forefront of dividing the nation on religious lines, when he calls on Hindus to unite to bring Islam to its knees in this country.
Bal Thackeray strongly objects to Justice Sachar’s felicitation by Muslims in United States. “In which government policy does the felicitation fit into?” he asked according to Mumbai Mirror news story, adding, the government should demand explanation from Sachar for his conduct.
Even though any number of political figures from Hindutva Parivar had been felicitated in the United States by Hindu Indians, Bal Thackeray is more concerned by American Indian Muslims participating in a political act. He is mortally afraid; the Americans might take note of the fault line in Indian polity and could be easily persuaded to exploit it for their own agenda on India. After all US policy makers did not hesitate to bring in Iraqi Shias in power in the name of democracy. After all even Thackeray clearly realizes that India’s ultimate bosses are in the US and they are not enamored of exclusivist fascist ideologies of the Hindutva kind. The newly awaken American Muslims are fast making inroads in US politics, with their numbers now becoming as crucial in coming Presidential elections as they are in India.
For sixty years, the communal Brahminical planning in ostracizing Muslims from the levers of powers has done immense damage to the psyche of Indian Muslims. They have remained isolated and ghettoized. Now with geopolitical focus on Muslims everywhere all around the world, for their potential for radicalization, it will be in the fitness of things, that justice should better be done to their numbers in any democratic set-up. The clever management of the political maneuverings, that had successfully kept Muslim MP numbers to around only 30, when they should be around 150, duly elected from their own majority districts, is now fully exposed, especially after presentation of Sachar report. A mass movement, though at the moment sponsored by the same wily political parties, around Sachar Commission report, is picking up some pace and Muslims are getting organised all around the country to demand action on Sachar Commission recommendation. Congress party is past master at playing games with Muslims and there is serious skepticism among the community leaders if Muslims will ever get anything out of this election-eve exercise. All Indian Muslim Mushawarat President, and former MP, Syed Shahabuddin, who had earlier joined Congress, has issued a press release openly downplaying any Congress move to do justice to Muslims.
It is clear, unless Muslims can raise huge sums through public mobilization and invest in their own political empowerment strategies, it is difficult to see any improvement in their lot; not withstanding all the grandstanding by Bal Thackeray.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
#5423
COMMUNAL THACKERAY RAISES ALARM OVER SACHAR REPORT’S CALL FOR PROPOTIONAL REPRESENTATION FOR MUSLIMS
Bal Thackeray is one political operator that always goes for the jugular. In his Maharashtra Assembly election eve speech, he openly called on ‘Hindus’ ( not Indians) to unite as only united Hindus can bring Islam to its knees. The virulent election speech was enough for Shiv Sena to have been declared unfit to fight elections on communal grounds. However, no Muslim organisation was courageous enough to risk antagonizing Shiv Sena supremo, and file complaints over Shiv Sena’s recognizance over Bal Thackeray’s religious war on Islam and Muslim voters, while fighting a democratic election in secular India. A tame reference was filed by a NCP member in a magistrate’s court that was more of a diversionary or symbolic strategic move by friends in Sharad Pawar’s so-called secular party, to help out Thackeray. All these ‘secular’ political parties have no qualms joining arch-communalist Shiv Sena, be they Sonia Congress or Sharad Pawar National Congress Party, when it is absolutely a no go situation. They are always prepared to co-opt all disgruntled Shiv Sainiks that junk Thackeray and give them prominent positions in their party, probably to exploit their Hindutva networking that could boost their own pseudo-secular vote bank.
In a move reminiscent of Shivaji’s trip to New Delhi, Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray made his maiden journey to New Delhi, to meet Congress Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, warning him against implementing Sachar Commission report on plight of Muslims, as according to him, this will bring a second partition of the country and country will be deeply divided.
Following up on his son’s clarion call against Indian Muslims, Shiv Sena supremo, who does not hold any formal office in his communal political party, Bal Thackeray very correctly warned that if Sachar Commission’s recommendation over proportional representation for political empowerment of Muslims are in any way implemented, it will ensure 150 seats in the Parliament for the Muslims and that will be a disaster for the nation. According to Mumbai Mirror, Bal Thackeray in an open letter to Prime Minister, published in his party mouth-piece Saamna, wrote: “There are 80 districts across the country, which will are predominantly Muslim. There will be 150 Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha if Sachar’s yardstick is applied and this could further divide the country on religious lines. He added, “the country is already unstable ….. there is political as well as social instability and by going ahead with the Sachar Committee report, the UPA government is pouring oil in the fire.”
One can only marvel at the audacity of this man, who forgets that he himself has been in forefront of dividing the nation on religious lines, when he calls on Hindus to unite to bring Islam to its knees in this country.
Bal Thackeray strongly objects to Justice Sachar’s felicitation by Muslims in United States. “In which government policy does the felicitation fit into?” he asked according to Mumbai Mirror news story, adding, the government should demand explanation from Sachar for his conduct.
Even though any number of political figures from Hindutva Parivar had been felicitated in the United States by Hindu Indians, Bal Thackeray is more concerned by American Indian Muslims participating in a political act. He is mortally afraid; the Americans might take note of the fault line in Indian polity and could be easily persuaded to exploit it for their own agenda on India. After all US policy makers did not hesitate to bring in Iraqi Shias in power in the name of democracy. After all even Thackeray clearly realizes that India’s ultimate bosses are in the US and they are not enamored of exclusivist fascist ideologies of the Hindutva kind. The newly awaken American Muslims are fast making inroads in US politics, with their numbers now becoming as crucial in coming Presidential elections as they are in India.
For sixty years, the communal Brahminical planning in ostracizing Muslims from the levers of powers has done immense damage to the psyche of Indian Muslims. They have remained isolated and ghettoized. Now with geopolitical focus on Muslims everywhere all around the world, for their potential for radicalization, it will be in the fitness of things, that justice should better be done to their numbers in any democratic set-up. The clever management of the political maneuverings, that had successfully kept Muslim MP numbers to around only 30, when they should be around 150, duly elected from their own majority districts, is now fully exposed, especially after presentation of Sachar report. A mass movement, though at the moment sponsored by the same wily political parties, around Sachar Commission report, is picking up some pace and Muslims are getting organised all around the country to demand action on Sachar Commission recommendation. Congress party is past master at playing games with Muslims and there is serious skepticism among the community leaders if Muslims will ever get anything out of this election-eve exercise. All Indian Muslim Mushawarat President, and former MP, Syed Shahabuddin, who had earlier joined Congress, has issued a press release openly downplaying any Congress move to do justice to Muslims.
It is clear, unless Muslims can raise huge sums through public mobilization and invest in their own political empowerment strategies, it is difficult to see any improvement in their lot; not withstanding all the grandstanding by Bal Thackeray.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
#5423
