Candidate’s religion not an issue; communalism is

Congress has lost support because of its handling of the Ullal violence - Mohammad Haq, petty shop owner

Even though the perception of being targeted in communal violence remains among the Beary community, there seems to be a general disillusionment with the two major national parties.

Many from the community told The Hindu that the installation of new government saw little change in law and order situation. They believed personality, political acumen and intent will be important factors in the Lok Sabha elections.

With the national parties being either “communal” or “using minorities as vote banks”, Ibrahim Malali, a farmer at Ganjimatt, said land acquisition and alleviating the agricultural crisis would be his criteria for selection. “Land acquisition for HPCL and GAIL pipelines, Niddodi power project, and industries is destroying the environment and agriculture here. The candidate’s stance on Yettinahole diversion project and solutions to solve water crisis will be important,” he said.

Similarly, Mohammad Sharief, a businessman in Jokatte, said he would vote for the candidate who “has struggled for the people”. “Religion is not an issue. But the person should not be communal. Candidates from our community can be communal also. The only criterion for me is whether they care for the common man,” he said.

Standing with the promise of political reform, the Aam Aadmi Party is top choice for Mohammad Kunhi, a Kankanady resident.

Ullal seething

However, in Ullal, communal violence remains a seething issue. Recently, nearly 500 members of Kodi — which was the epicentre of the unrest that started on January 29 — had vowed to boycott the election; and other residents in the area will be contemplating the same in meetings before the elections.

The contention remains that “numerous innocent” persons were arrested by the police in connection with the violence.

“Even though the government has changed, we still feel targeted. This is a big issue for us, and we have lost faith in the established parties,” said Mohammad Noor who runs a petty shop at Abbakka Circle.

However, a senior Beary leader believed, the fear that M. Narendra Modi – who is still associated with the 2002 riots – will eventually drive the community towards Congress. “There is anger against the government for price rise and other issues. But the anxiety of a BJP government will swing the community,” he said.