People's Democracy

THINKING TOGETHER

What is the reason behind active participation of Muslims in the BJP which is known to be an anti-Muslim communal organisation?

 Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya, Tripura

FIRST, the mere joining of some high profile individuals who happen to be Muslims does not, in any way, suggest the active participation of Muslims in the BJP.  People like Arif Mohd. Khan or Najma Heptullah cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be considered as the representatives of Indian Muslims.

Secondly, the BJP has always tried to project a Muslim signboard to cover-up its anti-Muslim, in fact, anti-religious minority orientation. It once had an Arif Beg, later a Sikandar Bhakt, now a Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as "signboards". Of the 182 Lok Sabha MPs of the BJP, only one, Shahnawaz Hussein, is a Muslim.  This reflects the refusal of the Muslims to accept the BJP as a secular party, leave alone actively participating in its affairs.

Thirdly, being born a Muslim does not automatically entail a person to be either secular or principled.  Political opportunism is as rampant amongst the minorities as it is amongst other sections.  The allurement of office may make some Muslims susceptible to join a ruling communal party. This is crass opportunism and does not, in any way, mean that the Muslims in India are embracing the BJP's communal ideology.  

Fourthly, in some places and on some occasions, the Muslim minority may be terrorised and intimidated to support, if not, at least  to not oppose the communal forces out of sheer fear and threat to their survival. This, again, cannot be construed to imply the acceptance of the BJP by the Indian Muslims.

Finally, not only the Muslims and other religious minorities  but a large number of those belonging to the Hindu faith itself recognise that the BJP's anti-religious minority outlook is based on the RSS ideological plank of seeking to convert the secular democratic Indian Republic  into a fascistic "Hindu Rashtra".

Thus, it is not only Muslims but all Indian patriots irrespective of their religious affiliations that oppose the BJP for its ideological communal fascist orientation. Like we commented in the Editorial column some weeks ago, the BJP may well change its colours like a chameleon to suit a situation, but like a leopard  it cannot change its spots.  The BJP remains committed to destroy India as we know of it today, i.e., a secular democratic republic.