Muslims’ political behaviour varies across India. It customarily consolidates itself with the “secular” parties wherever the political race is directly between the secular and non-secular narratives. However, in States with more multifaceted political competition, they appear divided among political parties for a variety of local or class interests.
As far as the Muslims of West Bengal are concerned, they have always played an instrumental and significant role as voters. The Congress, the Communist parties and the TMC have always earned considerable political and upright support of Muslims.
Since Muslims’ condition was quite backward economically, politically and educationally, they expected considerable sustenance from the establishment of all time.
According to the Sachar Committee report in 2006 on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in the country Bengal was placed in the category of “worst” performing States. Muslims are largely deprived of the process of economic development and its benefits.
Furthermore, according to the post-Sachar Evaluation Committee Report, Muslims are lagging behind the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in all spheres of developmental programmes.
In fact, both the Communists and the TMC, though hesitantly and mutely, tried to work on the Muslim’s upliftment to some extent so as not to be accused of “Muslim appeasement” from the Opposition like the BJP, etc. The minority upliftment programmes for the betterment of the minorities either in Bengal or anywhere else in the country, initiated by any ruling parties, have been termed as Muslim appeasement.
For the deteriorated condition of Muslims not only in Bengal but also in other States appears to be the lack of unity and cohesion in its leadership. Furthermore, the personal rivalry or disputes, division among themselves due to personal and political interests have resulted in creating an atmosphere of fear among Muslims that paved the way for the political parties to treat them as mere vote bank.
In the present scenario, the proliferation of Muslim parties in Bengal politics is certainly going to make Muslims prone to be used as vote banks once again as Asaduddin Owaisi and prominent Bengali Muslim leader Abbas Siddiqui have established an understanding to go together in the State elections.
It is noteworthy that the Muslim vote bank played an instrumental role in the landslide victory of Mamata Banerjee over the CPI(M)-led Left Front.
The entry of the damaging-duo Owaisi and Abbas Siddiqui will surely create confusion among Muslim voters who have significant influence on near about 100-110 seats together in the State. Most extensive districts are Murshidabad, Malda, Birbhum, 24 Parganas, Dinajpur, Bardawan and Nadia.
This is worth noting that Nadia is the place chosen by the BJP to launch its Statewide Rath Yatra to gather public support. They perhaps know the importance of the regions where minority votes can substantially help Mamata’s TMC.
Muslims constitute 27 per cent of the population in the State and division of Muslim votes will consequently help the BJP. On the other hand, AIMIM’s aggressive minority politics will certainly suit the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva narrative. This is why some so-called secular parties accuse Owaisi of being “agent of BJP” and “vote katua”. The presence of the damaging-duo is more likely to prove the political strategist Prashant Kishore’s anticipation wrong where he strongly emphasised to retrain the BJP to less than three-digit numbers.
Bengal had been a very sensitive region for communal violence but no major communal violence has been reported after Independence. The two-and-a-half crore Muslims of West Bengal, whose ancestors happily rejected two nations theory and chose to live in India, have equally and admirably contributed to nation building.
Therefore, it is the prudential and democratic responsibility of every ruling party, be it in the State or at the Centre, to ensure the safety and security of the Muslims of the State, as they have been doing for so long. Owaisi’s foray, first in Maharashtra, then Bihar and now in Bengal, has worried the Opposition heavily as he paved the way for the BJP by dividing minority votes in Maharashtra and Bihar.
On the other hand, quitting the AIMIM to join the TMC, Sheik Abdul Kalam, former West Bengal acting president of AIMIM, shows the beginning of the confusions among Muslims of Bengal.
This is just the beginning. In fact, Bengal is most likely to witness a fierce battle in the Assembly elections due in April-May 2021. Additionally, Muslim votes will certainly be decisive in the formation of Government in West Bengal.
(The writer is a faculty member of King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
