The Congress and the Samajwadi Party are apparently locked in a tug of war over the Muslim vote bank. For both the parties winning the hearts of Muslims specially in U.P. is essential. As a result they are trying to prove to be more loyal to the Muslims than the Muslims themselves.
After assuming power at the centre, the HRD Ministry under the stewardship of Mr. Arjun Singh organized a minority conference in Delhi. Obviously the conference was held for all minorities but it was the Muslim minority that dominated the proceedings. Speakers after speakers came, spoke and went away. The conclusion of the two-day deliberations was that the Muslims were backward and government’s special attention was required to ameliorate their malaise. Follow up actions may have been suggested at the conference but until now no practical step has been taken to solve any problems of the Muslim community.
The Samajwadi Party, as can be understood, was not to lag behind. Their Muslim face, Mr. Azam Khan, known for his sharp tongue, announced to set up a Urdu and Persian University named after Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, the renowned freedom fighter. First a bill was to be introduced in the U.P. Assembly but now they are talking about promulgating an ordinance to set up the proposed university. A noble cause of establishing a university has been dragged into controversy because of petty politics. It is learnt that Mr. Azam Khan, a minister in Mulayam Singh’s government, wants to become permanent pro-chancellor of the proposed university. Understandably the Congress, the BJP and the BSP all expressed their opposition to it. The Congress and the BSP are not opposed to the idea of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar University; they, in fact, are against Mr. Azam Khan becoming its permanent pro-chancellor. Mr. Khan and his supporters, thereafter, unleashed a vicious propaganda that the Congress and the BSP are anti-Muslim. It appears as their purpose was to show their opponents in poor light than to set up the university. No university in this country has a permanent pro-chancellor. Why, then, Mr. Khan is insisting on it?
The purpose here is to show how the political parties play games with the Muslims. If the Congress feels and wants to do something for the Muslims, it can do it without holding a conference. The conference organized by Mr. Arjun Singh did nothing except stating the obvious: the Muslims are educationally, economically and politically backward. Likewise the Samajwadi Party’s full-throated statements about establishing the Maulana Jauhar University have served no cause of the Muslim community. Even a Urdu-Persian and Arabic University can do some good to the poor Muslims, and it can do so without Mr. Azam Khan being its permanent pro-chancellor.
Both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party would be well advised to shun the propaganda war and concentrate on implementing and fulfilling the promises they have made to the Muslims. Conferences and announcements have their relevance but the Muslim community right now needs actions on the part of the government as well as the political parties that would solve its problems.
Here the Muslim community, specially its educated middle class has also to play a role. The need of the hour is to think in a cool-headed manner, pin-point the problems and devise strategies to solve them. The political parties would continue to capitalize and thrive on our ignorance, for they are expert in such games. Politicians have been paying lip service since independence and would go on doing it as long as the minorities and the weaker sections do not join hands and compel all the concerned to focus on solving their problems. The middle class of the minorities has a special role to play as they alone can mobilize the weaker sections by creating awareness among them for their constitutional and legal rights. They would also discover to their surprise that many fair-minded people belonging to the majority community have a clear understanding of their problems and are willing to support their cause. These elements along with the Muslim middle class that has emerged after independence are very important. Being very important, they also have more responsibilities than others may have. They are, therefore, to act in a positive manner and fulfil their responsibilities towards the minorities and the weaker sections. On their efforts largely depends the future of the Muslim community.
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