Lucknow: The 23 years of politics in the Hindi heartland (and elsewhere) is nothing but an off-shoot of the implementation of the Mandal Commission report, by late PM VP Singh, who despite being an Upper Caste Thakur, was the most despised political leader in the eyes of the Upper Caste Hindus, who had, until then, held an unprecedented and unchallenged monopoly of the state and its resources. The upsurge in politics and representation in the state apparatus of Other Backward Castes (low caste Hindus), perhaps changed the body-politic of the country as Kalyan Singh, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Chandra Babu Naidu, Narender Modi, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Shankar Sinh Vaghela, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ajit Singh, Uma Bharti, Ashok Gehlot cutting across all party lines rose to make to the proverbial rise of the plebeians.

The Upper Caste Hindus, ultra fascist RSS Hindus, dithered by the new reality, sought to consolidate more of their hegemony and thus created the Muslim ‘other’ as only this could have been the best whipping boy. Ram temple, which had otherwise been a Congress bastion, as it was Congress and its politics which had led to the locking of Babri Masjid, on Dec 22/23, 1949, and then getting it opened on Feb 1, 1986, was otherwise snatched by BJP and thus Babri Masjid became a war cry for the Hindu right, in order to make a balance of history and also to revive the Hindu elite monopoly. The result was that the Babri Masjid lay demolished on Dec 6, 1992. The erasing of history, falsification of facts, saffronisation of education, institutionalisation of anti-Muslim apathy, discrimination against Muslims-all became an everyday fact of life. Every new day rose with a body-posturing of ‘the-state’ against Muslims and this all became possible even when Muslims had helped usher in a non-BJP government in the state in 1993. Who can forget the early-morning lining of thousands of Muslims at every poll station in the UP elections of 1993. SP-BSP formed the next government which lasted until 1995, and BSP ideologue Kanshi Ram made a volte-face to form government under Mayawati with BJP. Later, Mawayati could time and again (thrice) come to BJP’s rescue.

 Just before the Feb 2002 elections Kanpur riots (July 2001) occurred where Muslims fell to the police bullets while BJP CM Rajnath Singh held sway. Later BJP banned SIMI and as Gujarat massacre of Muslims was underway UP went to polls under BJP which was routed. No one can deny that Gujarat pogrom had its roots and reasons in Ayodhya, where Hindu Karsevaks had been gathering create momentum for the construction of Ram temple which had been deftly announced on the occasion of dharam-sansad (Allahabad, Jan 2001) to whip up the required xenophobia in order to bolster the BJP prospects, yet the BJP failed to even cross a triple figure in a house of 403. This could largely happen due to the tactical voting pattern adopted by Muslims. Whosoever was winnable against BJP was the priority of Muslims.

 The year 2004 saw the change of guard at the centre as UPA-I, led by Congress, rode to power. The UPA-II (2009) won again on the question of secularism and has to date sat comfortably on the Liberhan Commission Report which seriously indicted LK Advani on his involvement in the demolition of Babri Masjid. The conspiracy charge which had been dropped by CBI against LK Adavni in 2003, could easily have been revived but UPA-II chose to look indifferent. “Congress is the B-team of BJP. Congress’ is spurious secularism and spurious communalism. Does the nation remember how Congress PM Narsimha Rao had announced the rebuilding of Babri Masjid on its original site? Today Congress wants to promise more-reservation to Muslims. Who will buy this promise when the 19 years have been marred by only deceptions,” said Muhammed Azam Khan, general secretary of SP. He lambasted Congress for its double-speak on Salman Rushdie. “The whole country had gone into a tizzy over the expected ban on Gita by Russia and why is UPA not even caring a fig bit for Muslim sentiments over Rushdie? What prompted SM Krishna to visit Israel during the poll time, if not to take some more tutorials to subjugate Muslims? It is now an either-way bonhomie between Israel-India, since Narsimha Rao in 1992. Even BJP could not promise a new Israel consulate. Only the secular Congress could do this,” he added.  

Babri Masjid, as it was expected, again entered the electoral talk as Rahul Gandhi accused Mulayam Singh Yadav to have befriended Kalyan Singh, a convict in its demolition. But, perhaps political wisdom prevailed on Mulayam who parted from Kalyan as it had almost cost SP half of its tally in the 2009 general elections. Azam was expelled from SP on the same pretext. Today Azam has been re-inducted but what cemented his ties with Mulayam was the latter’s statement that after the Sep 30, 2010 judgement of the High Court, Lucknow, Muslims felt ‘betrayed’! It is another issue that Mulayam faces a contempt case against him.

 Ironically, Mayawati in her total estrangement wanted the order to be immediately implemented as the Courts had given two-thirds of the Babri Masjid site to Hindus and one-third to Muslims. In fact on Sep 30, 2010 the Courts legitimised the demolition, for if Babri Masjid had still stood, such an order would have never occurred. Mayawati showed her total indifferent ignorance to the Muslim sentiments and UP today stands for its first election after Sep 30.  

“Congress claims to champion secularism. What has it done to its own twice elected MLA Suleiman Khan on the issue of Enemy Property? It made parliament to circumvent the Supreme Court order restoring his properties. Congress could do nothing but bring more shame to itself, as this is how even friends of Congress are paid their dues. When is UPA-II to fulfill its yet another promise that Aligarh Muslim University’s minority issue will be settled once and for all through parliament,” asked Azam Khan.

 Azam was more scathing on Congress on the issue of terrorism. He called Digvijay Singh’s call for a probe into Batla House fake encounter as hogwash as Home Minister has called it genuine. “The Congress tradition of cementing it through Rashid Alvi came as a total laughter. Congress simply fails to change. When Indira Gandhi had sponsored the 1980 massacre of Muslims in Morabad on the Eid day, all we had heard were Muslim clerics waxing eloquent (on state radio of course) that everything was  normal under the Congress rule.

Should we forget that Indira Gandhi had solicited the support of Baba Deoraha, who had put his foot on her head, as the Baba had a massive following amongst the Hindus. Blatant majority card was played in 1980 and what we are reaping is its whirlwind as soon Nielle massacre (1983) of Muslims took place in Assam. She got Ram Temple movement started and had she not died in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star (1984), Babri Masjid locks would have been opened much earlier. It is only later that her son Rajiv Gandhi facilitated the same,” he reminisced. Let’s see if Congress preposition of 4.5% reservation to minorities would cut ice for the 37 million Muslim voters of UP or would it be just too little and too late?