Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Mumbai Muslims adopting Brahmin strategies – They are everywhere! - By Ghulam Muhammed
Mumbai Muslims adopting Brahmin strategies – They are everywhere!
Something has got to give.
The way Congress has been humiliating Muslims in Mumbai, even though Muslims had remained loyal voters to the Congress all along; while suffering the most horrifying communal riots and being subjected to mass scale arrests and incarcerations, on most untenable and spurious pretexts. They had not only been marginalized, but a hate campaign was always in the works, even by most secular of the Congress leader.
The first sign of defiance by Muslims was the demand on Congress that they should give tickets to at least 5 Muslim candidates, one among them from Mumbai. They added a deadline too.
The arrogant Chief Minister got a few ‘apparently’ obliging Ulema and asked them that nothing could be done at this stage and he may consider more Muslim representation in coming assembly election.
Muslims have always known how Congress operates on the basis of promises. This time they revolted. Not only they have gone to other political parties, like SP and BSP to seek tickets, they now have another secular alternative of switching their votes to newly formed Muslim led political parties, whom The Communal Times of India, always brands as outfits --- never fronts, or political parties.
Another development that is more notable is that the same Muslim leaders are attending election rallies of practically all political parties. Be that Shiv Sena, or Raj Thackeray’s MNS, Muslims are being invited as a standard feature, possibly borrowed from the formula of Bollywood films of old, when a regular feature had to be a very kind and generous Muslim, who at appropriate time would burst forth in a Qawwali. Probably, the popular Actor Salman Khan, picking up from the Bollywood tradition, has been pulling up crowds for any number of candidates, regardless of their party affiliations and media has been taking note of that.
A similar change is visible in Muslim voters. They are no longer impressed by the old Congress scare tactics of Shiv Sena coming to power, if Muslims failed to vote Congress. This was the pet scare tactic of the Communists too. However, Muslim voters are now prepared to move with the tide and defy all harangues from community leaders and vote for their local favourite candidate, be that from any party.
This may turn out to be a complete duplication of the Brahmin strategies, who are found in each and every political group and over time work to get an upper hand. (Isn’t Bollywood ruled by the 3 khans?).
The same route may be opening up with the Muslims, who have finally cut themselves off from the apron strings of Indian National Congress. Muslim voters and Muslim leaders have found new space for their future moves and that augurs well for the community.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
www.ghulammuhammed.wordpress.com
Labels: Indian Muslim leaders, Indian Muslim voter, Indian National Congress, Muslims in Bollywood
