Should Muslims trust Samajwadi Party?

http://twocircles.net/2017jan29/403718.html

http://muslimmirror.com/eng/should-muslims-trust-samajwadi-party
http://english.khabartak.com/national/82091

Samajwadi Party came to power in 2012 with lucrative promises to the people of Uttar Pradesh. Sixteen points, pregnant with best-sounding promises were dedicated to the Muslim community, in the election manifesto. At the end of five years of governance, let’s have a review of promises and their delivery before we are taken to view new mirage.  Below is a rough translation of most of the promises made in the Election manifesto of SP 2012.

1.     SP government will pressurize the center to implement the recommendations of Rangnath Mishra Commission and Sachar Committee. It will immediately implement the recommendations that fall under the jurisdiction of state government.

2.     In the light of recommendations of Sachar Committee report, Muslims being educationally, economically and socially backward, will be given reservation on the lines of scheduled castes on the basis of their population.   

3.     Innocent Muslim youths arrested in fabricated cases will not only be released immediately but also be compensated.  The accused officers will be punished too.

4.     In Muslim pockets, new educational institutes will be opened.

5.     In Muslim pockets, Urdu medium schools will be opened on primary, middle and high school level.

6.     The separate budget will be allocated for the technical education of madrasa.

7.     In order to instill confidence among the community, special provisions will be taken to recruit them into State Security Forces.

8.     The special budget will be allocated for the protection of graveyards and to remove the encroachments.

9.     One representative of the community will be appointed to every government commissions, boards, and committees.

10.   A separate law will be enacted to safeguard Waqf properties. Waqf properties will be cleared from all encroachments and handed over to its waaqif. Waqf board properties will be kept away from Land Acquisition Act.

11.    Minority’s profession like handloom, handmade art, carpet industry, bangles, locks, bidi, jardoz, scissors industry will be given subsidy for their promotion. Outstanding electric bills and their interest on looms will be waived off to relieve them. In order to produce skilled hands for small and cottage industries, ITIs will be opened on block levels.

12.    Weavers, like farmers, will be given free electricity.

Rihai Manch, a political front for resistance against repression, raised as many as 40 questions related to minorities, on the completion of four years of Samajwadi Government, on 14^th March 2016.

Most of the questions were based on the promises made by the Samajwadi government in its election manifesto 2012. It reminded and sharply rebuked the government for the failure of its promises. It raised questions about the release of Muslim youths falsely arrested, compensation for the youths acquitted by courts, 18% of reservation for Muslim, compensation for the Muzaffarnagar riot victims, as promised in the manifesto. Rajeev Yadav, member of Central Executive Committee, Rihai Manch, says, ‘To speak of release is a remote dream, especially against the deceptive attitude of the government which went to the length of  appealing to the high court in Feb 2016, to revoke the release order of six Muslim youths who were acquitted of all charges with full honor and dignity by the lower court.

Rihai Manch also asked why no recruitment in State Security Force and why no representative of the community in every government commissions, boards, and committees, as per manifesto. It also reminded the government of its promise to waive off outstanding electricity bills and interests, to extend subsidy, and to open ITIs which remained a distant dream for Muslims associated with small scale industries.

The condition of State minority commission (SMC) in the state is almost null and void. The State minority commission doesn’t prepare any annual report on minority’s issues. Things climaxed when no representative of the commission visited either Muzaffarnagar or Dadri, while incidents there had shaken up the nation.  According to the guidelines of the commission, every district welfare officer should come from minority, but this is not followed in the case of Uttar Pradesh SMC. In Unani medical courses, Urdu is removed from courses like nursing and pharmacy. The government has put a ban on Urdu as a language to appeal in RTI, from RTI regulation Act, with effect from 3^rd Dec 15. Waqf data is not yet computerized under Waqf data computerization scheme.

In a nutshell, Samajwadi party hardly implemented any of the promises made in the manifesto. Muslims in Uttar Pradesh are all set to defeat a communal force against a secular force. I hope, Muslims this time, will be smart enough to identify their foes and friends.

Does Owaisi’s Election Strategy help BJP? An Analysis

http://muslimmirror.com/eng/does-owaisis-election-strategy-help-bjp-an-analysis

Era of Identity politics

We are heading in an era where Identity has become an important phenomenon in the modern politics. Identity politics gained legitimacy in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States and Identity Politics has become a prominent subject in the Indian politics in the past few decades. The rise of low castes, religious identities, linguistic groups and ethnic conflicts has contributed to the significance of identity politics in India. Experts say Identity politics and Caste Identity Politics is the result of numerous aspects of oppression and powerlessness. The emergence of regional parties and caste-based leaders followed hugely by their caste members is a testimony to it. Owaisi is no exception.

Did Owaisi really help BJP?

In Bihar Assembly election, AIMIM contested only in Seemanchal area hoping to win seats there since it is a Muslim dominated area. Had it nursed the intention of helping BJP, it would have contested in a maximum of areas. In Assam, BJP+ AGP+ BPF alliance got 41.9 % of vote share while Congress got 31% and AIUDF 13% of the total vote. Congress and AIUDF put together amount to 43%. Congress didn’t form an alliance with AIUDF and was reduced from 79 to 26 seats. So-called secular party like Congress could afford to see BJP in power and lived through its humiliating defeat, but couldn’t afford to see Badruddin Ajmal in power. When Kejriwal launched AAP and contested Delhi election, no one shouted his coming into the fray will help divide secular votes and help BJP electorally. In Maharashtra Assembly election, there were as many as 12 parties in the field excluding independent candidates. Muslims constitute around 11.5% of Maharashtra population and AIMIM secured only 0.9% of the total votes. More than 10% of Muslim votes went to other parties by choice, even then some allege that AIMIM divided Muslim votes and helped BJP win in Maharashtra.

In West Bengal, NDA contested 294 seats, won 6 seats securing 10.7% of total votes and witnessed a vote swing of 5.92%. This is true that BJP was not a key party in West Bengal, but didn’t it have any dream there? If Owaisi’s electoral strategy really meant to help BJP, couldn’t AIMIM presence help the latter in West Bengal where Muslims are around 27%? The larger question is that should Owaisi withdraw from all such states where BJP is in the fight, in order to prove that AIMIM is not BJP B-Team. In near future, if BJP will be in a position to contest heavily in all the states, should Owaisi bar his party from contesting any election to prove his secularism?

 Muslim vote bank in UP

Muslims don’t vote en bloc. Muslim support for the SP, BSP, and Congress fluctuates across sub-regions of the state. In 2007, the SP led all other parties across the state, while in 2012 the party’s support base among Muslims seemed to have declined in Rohilkhand and Purvanchal. The BSP, on the other hand, gains more Muslim support from Avadh, Rohilkhand, and Purvanchal than other regions of the state. The Congress draws its Muslim support from Western UP, Rohilkhand, and Doab.

EPW (Economic & Political weekly) published a report by Rahul Verma and Pranav Gupta on 31^st Dec 17. The authors traveled to eight districts in Central and Eastern Uttar Pradesh to get a sense of how voters make up their mind about whom to vote for in the upcoming assembly elections in the state in 2017.They concluded that Muslims vote in the same pattern as other communities. ‘…their (Muslims) vote choice is also driven by performance, party preferences, candidates, welfare policies, and leadership among many other things. And any attempt to misrepresent the sensibilities with which Muslims participate in India’s political arena is surely a work of fiction, perhaps biased, and is just a misguided opinion without any credible evidence’

In coming Uttar Pradesh election, all parties including AIMIM are going to get their share. It is inappropriate to say that Muslims in UP are going to vote en bloc and that Owaisi presence is meant to split them to secure BJP a victory.

ASIF MOAZZAM JAMAI

Dept. of English

University of Bisha

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia