How Muslims should vote in the forthcoming general election 2019? There is no denying that this election has become unusually important for the Indian Muslims. Their survival in the country is at stake. Another lack of judgment on the part of the Indian Muslims may see them completely marginalized for decades to come. While things have become from bad to worse over the last five years, as far as the Muslim community is concerned, if the same dispensation comes to power yet again, the Sangh is all set to unleash all its hidden hatred for the Muslims. The groundwork has already been done with extreme polarization against Muslims and islamophobia affecting almost every walk of life in the country, particularly the media, bureaucracy and even judiciary to a certain extent.
A narrative is being spread that the Congress party and the RSS are one and the same and there is no real difference between the two. I am not sure as to who is behind such rumors. But what I am sure is the fact that the educated people who are falling for this argument are naïve to the core and have no real understanding of the RSS ideology or how the organization functions. While there is no denying that the Congress has made many mistakes over the decades, nonetheless it remains the best bet for the nation and for the Muslim community as far as the future of the country is concerned.
Former RSS leaders including Golwalkar have very clear idea about the status of the minorities in the country. Golwalkar, while giving guidelines in this regard says, “Ït is worth bearing well in mind how these old Nations solve their minorities problem. They do not undertake to recognize any separate element in their polity. Emigrants have to get themselves naturally assimilated in the principal mass of the population, the National Race, by adopting its culture and language and sharing in its aspirations, by losing all consciousness of their separate existence, forgetting their foreign origin. If they do not do so, they live merely as outsiders, bound by all the codes and conventions of the Nation, at the sufferance of the Nation and deserving no special protection, far less any privilege or rights. There are only two courses open to the foreign elements, either to merge themselves in the national race and adopt its culture, or to live at its mercy so long as the national race may allow them to do so and to quit the country at the sweet will of the national race. That is the only sound view on the minorities problem. That is the only logical and correct solution. That alone keeps the national life healthy and undisturbed. That alone keeps the nation safe from the danger of a cancer developing into its body politic of the creation of a state within a state”.The Congress party, on the other hand believes in pluralism and has fought for it before the Independence and after the partition of the country. Muslims had been an integral part of the Congress from the day one.
1-Congress had nine Muslims as president
The Congress party has been nurtured by Muslims and Hindus alike. The grand old party had as many as nine Muslim presidents. This includes giants like Badruddin Tayabji, Rahimatullah M Syani, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Nawab Syed Muhammad Bahadur, Syed Hasan Imam, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Mukhtar Ansari. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had the distinction of being the Congress president for the longest period till the independence. He also has the distinction of being the youngest president of the Congress party. The distinction holds true even now.
2-Ulama of Deoband supported it before & after independence
From the second decade of the twentieth century, Ulama of Deoband, the bedrock of Indian Muslims, who have provided leadership to the community have supported the Congress ever since Shaykhul Hind Maulana Mahmud Hasan asked Muslims to accept Mahatma Gandhi as the leader of the Indian freedom movement. Later, Shaykhul Islam, Maulana Husain Ahmad Madani and the entire Deoband clergy supported the Congress party and continues to support the party even now.
3-Congress believes in pluralism
The genesis of the Congress party lies in pluralism. Muslims have nurtured the Congress party over the decades since its very inceptions. It should be kept in mind that it was the Congress Party that sowed the seeds of secularism, promoted the country’s pluralistic vision and helped people appreciate the importance of liberal values. Salman Anees Soz, while writing in the Wire says, “It is also true that Congress has not always been an unequivocal champion of these values, making mistakes along the way. But, I have yet to come across any democracy or political party that has not had its share of mistakes. Beyond shaping the country’s core values, the Congress has also played a big part in India’s development story, especially after the 1991 reforms. While it is easy to criticise the achievements of the Congress Party, I am certain the prime minister is learning how far India has come while he was taking lessons in RSS shakhas.”
4-Congress has provided security to everyone including minorities
There is no denying the fact that the Congress party has provided security to everyone including the Muslims in the country. After partition when the whole subcontinent was in flames, the Congress party with the help of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Abul Kalam Azad ensured that Muslims survived in North India and security was restored across the country. Mahatma Gandhi paid with his life but ensured that Muslims and other minorities were safe and secure. During the ten year tenure of the UPA government under Dr Manmohan Singh, the security and safety of the nation was ensured and Muslims were able to establish their institutions in large numbers throughout the country including in much of North India where they have faced extreme backwardness for decades.
5-Congress provides level playing field to everyone
There is no denying that the Congress party provides level playing field for every caste and community including Dalits, Muslims, Christians and all other communities. It has helped the community to develop in numerous ways, from providing reservation to Muslims in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, it has made affirmative actions to improve the lot of the Muslims. Sachar Committee Report was a genuine effort by Manmohan Singh government and the Congress party to understand the level of backwardness among the Muslims. Later it identified backward Muslim districts, ensured that enough schools were opened to cater to these backward areas and ensured that poor Muslim kids got government scholarship at every level. Muslim students continue to benefit from these schemes, though due to shrinking funding, far less students are able to benefit from such schemes. (ViewsHeadlines.Com)
