A cartoon of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi in a vernacular paper is seems to be telling all. Owaisi's presence in Bihar electoral field may not be in the interest of the Muslims of Seemanchal.
The cartoon without a caption shows Owaisi cooking Hyderabadi Biryani in a big vessel. Few poor Muslim men and women stand at a distance hoping to get a plateful of biryani while a man, representing NDA, sits on a chair with a table and looks on.
The MIM leader had announcement to contest all seats in four Bihar districts — Kishanganj, Purnia, Araria and Katihar. Muslim population in these districts ranges from 30% to 70% which has caused immense concern among the non-BJP parties, particularly the constituents of the Maha gathbandhan. They apprehend that MIM candidates would only cut into their vote base, damage their prospects and help the BJP and its allies.
Seemanchal region has a peculiar political geography. All its four lok Sabha constituencies in May 2014 were shared by Congress, RJD, JD(U) and NCP and BJP's surge nosedived there.
Kishanganj was retained by Maulana Asrarul Haq of the Congress, Taslimuddin of the RJD won Araria, the JD(U)'s Santosh Kumar wrested Purnia while Tariq Anwar of the NCP won Katihar. Now, the BJP has made it a prestige issue to make dent in that region. The party must have heaved a sigh of relief with the entry of MIM in the poll arena.
Attempts to dissuade Owaisi from fielding his nominees there have proved unsuccessful. AICC spokesman Meem Afzal has written a letter to MIM chief asking him to show some wisdom and suggesting to join the secular alliance instead of fighting alone. He also told him about the historical fact that the Muslims never accepted any Muslim oriented party. Sources said Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had also tried to speak to Owaisi. The MIM chief said he would prefer to speak to Mulayam in the poll arena.
Apart from Owaisi, there is another cleric whose statements are music to the ears of BJP leaders. It is Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan who heads little known and hitherto a religious organisation Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC). Khan has declared that his IMC will field candidates in Seemanchal's all Assembly constituencies. He recently visited Araria and gave a slogan "lenge hissedari, nahi karenge tabedari" (We will take our rightful share and not do subordination). Khan said, "The so-called secular parties create a fear psychosis among Muslims to seek their votes. There is no difference between the BJP and so-called secular parties."
Muslim leaders and intelligentsia feel that people like Owaisi and Khan have backing from the BJP and their only aim is to create divisions among the Muslim voters to its benefit. "What goes to the advantage of Owaisi is that all these constituencies have large concentration of Muslims who are poor and illiterate. They are influenced by emotive and provocative speeches. MIM candidates may not win a seat but they have the potential to damage the prospects of secular alliance," said a cleric Maulana Abdul Subhan of Kochadhaman in Kishanganj.
The BJP would not take a chance. It is expected that the party would depute its two Muslim Ministers Najma Heptulla and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in Seemanchal to impress the voters.
There is an old saying that each action has a reaction. In reaction to MIM's entry in Bihar, the Shiv Sena too has decided to contest 150 seats including all in Seemanchal Sena's Bihar unit president Kaushlendra Sharma said, "If BJP is not concerned about us why we should bother about it." In 2010 too Sena contested 31 seats and all its nominees forfeited their deposit and the party polled 2.59% of total polled votes.