Islamic Culture & Photo Blog – Muslim Blog Muslim BlogDELHI – As Indian elections passed halfway, the 180 million Indian Muslims are feeling the heat with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) allies trying to terrorize the community through their anti-Muslim comments, giving them a dim view of the future if the nationalist party won the elections.
“As the election process draws towards end, the BJP leaders are showing their true colors,” Abdul Razzaq, a Muslim scholar and leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Mufti, told OnIslam.net.
“They want to polarize the communities.”
“We believe that the BJP is still untouchable for Muslims. We have seen in the past and we expect to see in the future also that they are not someone who could be trusted in any way,” he added.
Razzaq was commenting on a series of anti-Muslim statements by BJP leaders recently.
Giriraj Singh, a BJP leader in the state of Bihar, said that those opposed to Narendra Modi (BJP’s prime ministerial candidate) would have to leave India and go to Pakistan once the BJP wins the elections and forms the government.
Later it was Pravin Togadia, the firebrand leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu organization associated with BJP, who offered advice to majority Hindus to stop the minority Muslims from purchasing properties in Hindu-dominated areas.
However, he later denied his statement and said that he only wanted the majority community to take help from police in cases involving disputes with Muslims.
Then came another statement from a BJP partner organization in the state of Maharashtra, where Shiv Sena leader Ramdad Kadam said that Narendra Modi would teach a lesson to Muslim rioters.
Narendra Modi distanced himself from these statements and dubbed them as “irresponsible”. He also said that the government will belong to all citizens irrespective of whom they voted for and the motto of his government will be absence of fear. However, there are very few Muslims who are ready to buy Modi’s commitment for minority Muslims.
They feel that Modi is only trying to woo Muslim voters as voting is yet to be held at many places in the country.
“I think his only concern for now is votes. He wants to come to power and that is why he is showing his concern for Muslims,” Aslam Zaman, a resident of the city of Lucknow in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, told OnIslam.net.
“He will be a changed person after the elections.”
Wait & See
The statements issued by BJP’s allies are a cause of concern for common Muslims, who feel that if the BJP wins the elections, they may have to live under constant fear.
However, recent opinion polls show that the BJP, which was expected to be the single largest party earlier, would now be able to gain absolute majority.
“Let’s see what happens after the elections. Whatever the outcome we shall have to accept it,” said Mufti Shees who feels that everything will depend on the outcome of the elections.
“However, the prime minister cannot discriminate between citizens of his country,” he added.
Amid increasing Indian Muslims fears, there are many Muslims who believe that the BJP, led by Narendra Modi, is not going to get absolute majority.
In that condition, he will form the government with the support of other allies and would have to take decisions in consultation with other partners.
“The partners would not allow Modi to implement his anti-Muslim agenda. After all he is seeking votes for the development so he will have to work for it,” said Zafar Islam, an Urdu newspaper journalist from Uttar Pradesh.
The statements, aimed at creating fear among Muslims, have come at a time when they are worried about the outcome of the general elections where BJP’s Narendra Modi is expected to form the next government.
Muslims still consider Modi responsible for Hindu-Muslim clashes of 2002 in Gujarat state which left almost 1,000 dead, most of them Muslims.
The nine-phased Indian elections will end on May 12 and results will be announced on May 16.
Anticipating the results, Shah-Zaman, another Muslim scholar from Uttar Pradesh, asserted his belief that Modi would not be able to create fear among Muslims.
“We have faith in the Almighty. We believe whatever happens will be for the betterment of the nation and the community. No one can create fear in our mind,” he told OnIslam.net.
“These people can’t do anything even if they come to power. Their only goal is to grab power.”
