And the Journey beyond all these ...
Ahmedabad to Delhi and now the unstoppable mission ....
There is scarcely a country today whose secrets are not revealed through the global and social media. India and its people Hindus and Muslims and the new-Bharat, that is the Hindutva-infected-Nation are no exception. India politics had entered a new phase in circa 2002. Many intellectuals and Sickularists guided by 'hatred' towards Hindus and Namo did not appreciate that.
But in 2026 - people can see reason on why Hindu unity is a reality; and strongly so while the so-called Muslim fraternity has split at least electorally. In 2002 and period around 2005; Narendra Modi and the Hindutva-infected-Bharat became an unholy trinity - with or without good reasons.
These were to be excoriated in every possible manner. We will look into these at a later stage.
Take the focus to another era - and ask Muslims about their life and politics in India.
This aspect was covered well in an article in 'Time' magazine in 2007.
"We Muslims were the rulers of India. The British took that from us. In 1947, they should have given that back," - one scholar from the Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad - Tariq Jan was quoted as saying.
Well, it ought to be agreed that Religion does possess the power to Divide people and may also at times 'unite a nation'. Or does it 'divide' a nation and unite people in contrast ?
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| Blogger and a book on Modi - Sept 13, 2013 when Namo was named as BJP's PM-candidate |
Looking back and somewhat even into the future -- one can say the impressive victories of the BJP under Modi (making a difference in approach and style earlier known to the Vajpayee-Advani era); actually raises numerous fundamental questions about leadership and the making of a popular will.
Long back, the established definitions of politics and governance did not impress the voters in Gujarat. That was 2002 and 2007. In 2012 - Modi was already embarking on a greater ambitious journey.
And in 2026 - the voters in Assam and West Bengal have voted like the Gujaratis of 2002 !
And there is yet another important take away. The Congress party won 19 seats in Assam and 18 of them are Muslims. In Bengal, two of its legislators are Muslims. d in Kerala, it is suspected Rahul Gandhi's unofficial diktats were overruled and V D Sathesan has become chief minister because the Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML) wanted so.
On Dec 3, 2012 on the eve of Gujarat polls, some of us met the then chief minister in Ahmedabad. Modi had publicly played down a possible bid to become Prime Minister.
"All state elections before Lok Sabha polls are described as semi-final. I am not joining the issue," he had said.
A lot has changed since then.
Winning West Bengal with a substantial religious minority population — Muslims, for instance, account for over a quarter of state's 100-million-plus population — points to a consolidation of Hindu voters across caste and class lines.
It is also true that the Bengali mindset was politically pro-Left liberal and even irreligious at times. Hence, for decades, the state resisted the kind of majoritarian politics that powered the BJP's rise across much of India.
The state had a strong linguistic pride and a sub-regional identity. All these have been captured.
A reference to the past : 1857
Mangal Pandey, the mustachioed soldier in the East India company, attacked his British lieutenant with a musket. His hanging a week later sparked a sub-continental revolt. Retribution too was swift. It is argued that though Mangal was a Hindu; it was the Muslims who bore the brunt of British rage.
The world has come a full circle.
ends
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