Muslims keen on evolving electoral strategy

The objective is to keep BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi at bay

April 04, 2014 01:36 am | Updated May 21, 2016 08:14 am IST - Hyderabad:

Telangana Muslim Mahaz meeting in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Telangana Muslim Mahaz meeting in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Hardly a month left for general elections, Muslims are getting their act together. There is a renewed vigour to hammer out an electoral strategy. The bottom-line is to keep the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, at bay. Rejecting parties which seek minority votes by deceit only to support the BJP-led-NDA post election is also part of the agenda.

Muslim intellectuals from different walks of life besides social activists and religious scholars gathered here the other day to find a solution to the vexed issue. People holding different shades of opinion and subscribing to different schools of thought came together, indicating the seriousness of purpose. Members of the Karnataka Muslim Muttahada Mahaz, who are successful in uniting the Muslim votes in the neighbouring State, were also present to offer help.

The programme took place at the initiative of the All-India Muslim Sangham (AIMS) headed by Khalid Rasool Khan. The dominant view is to close ranks and come under the banner of a single federation –Telangana Muttahada Muslim Mahaz (TMMM) – to ensure that Muslim votes do not split. The broad consensus is to vote for a candidate who is a frontrunner and less communal – no matter which community he belongs to as long as he is not from the BJP and its allies. “Even if such a candidate is corrupt, he should be supported since this malady is less pernicious than the canker of communalism,” feels Mohd. Shafiquzzaman, retired IAS officer.

This formula can be applied all over the country. Muslims should keep away from the Telugu Desam which is gravitating towards the BJP. The TDP chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, many think, should be taught a lesson for going back on his promise of not aligning with the saffron party. Muslims should also be wary of the TRS which might strike a post-election alliance with BJP, says Hamid Mohammed Khan of Movement for Peace and Justice.

Abid Rasool Khan, Chairman, Minorities Commission, feels political empowerment of Muslims is of utmost importance and this is possible only through unity. While Hyderabad has good Muslim representation in the Majlis, in the districts the situation is pitiable. No party is willing to allot tickets to minorities as they fear the Hindu votes will get polarised. “We need to have bargaining power through a front,” he said.

The participants agreed that the United Muslim Forum in the State was successful in bringing Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government to power by defeating the Telugu Desam. “But it has not developed into a pressure group to represent the minority issues. We need to learn from our mistakes,” feels SIO president Iqbal Hussain.

Coming up with a list of demands and placing it before all major parties is another suggestion. Whichever party agrees to implement the demands can be supported. The AIMS plans to hold more such meetings in the coming days to evolve a consensus.

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