By Yash Shukla
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel is the only representative of Muslims from Gujarat in parliament. Despite, being nine?per cent of the population, there is not a single Muslim MP in the Lok Sabha from Gujarat. In the 2012 assembly elections, only two MLAs made it to the Assembly of 182 members. If one were to see the number of MLAs according to the share of population of Muslims in Gujarat, then there should be 16 MLAs in the assembly. Despite all the talk that Muslims are queuing for BJP tickets in Gujarat, the BJP has not fielded a single Muslim candidate in the upcoming elections. Under-representation of any section of the populace is a cause of concern and has repercussions for not only the concerned community but all the sections of the society. Why does Muslim community, unlike other communities, fail to get its due share?
Congress on the footprints of BJP
The campaign of the Congress party resembles the campaign of the BJP as far as issues of elections are concerned. In a state like Gujarat where religious lines are sharper than many other states, the Congress party is not in a mood to risk the majority votes for the sake of Muslim votes. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi is on a spree to visit as many temples as possible during the campaign avoiding the issues concerning the Muslim community in his speeches.
In the absence of any third alternative party, the Muslim votes are being taken for granted by the Congress party. Apart from a small section of the community, by and large, the community, does not vote for the BJP whom they see responsible for the 2002 Gujarat riots. Hence, Muslims hardly have any choice but to vote for the Congress party. The outlook of the Congress leaders in Gujarat is almost like that of their BJP counterparts. Be it leaders like Bharat Sinh Solanki demanding the construction of Ram temple or the Congress youth leaders asking for the?cow to be declared the national animal.
Absence of Muslim leadership
Gujarat has come a long way from the 2002 riots. BJP leaders argue that there has been no riot since 2002 and peace has prevailed in the state. However, there are people who have questioned the so-called Gujarat model and have raised questions on the miserable condition of Muslims in Gujarat. Barring the business class and upper-middle-class sections of the society, the Muslim community has not enjoyed the fruits of development. Take the example of the capital city of the state, Ahmedabad which is divided into two sections- one for Hindus and another for Muslims living in ghettos.
Muslim leaders in the state also should start mobilizing and uniting the community. Take the examples of Patels and Dalits in the state who have come to the forefront and united their communities. They have taken on the government for failing to address their issues. In return, both the Congress and the BJP have tried to accommodate their demands and are courting the community. Patels constitute thirteen per cent of the population and have been able to get 49 tickets from the BJP and 45 tickets from the Congress party. Why don?t we find a Jignesh Mevani or a Hardik Patel fighting for the issues of the?Muslim community? How long is the community going to be dependent on the Congress party which has used and exploited the community?s support?
Moreover, it is high?time that young Muslims take on the role of leadership and start fighting for issues like education, employment instead of imitating their religious leadership fighting for the protection of feudal practices like Instant Triple Talaq and Polygamy.
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