Shiban Khaibri
One among numerous unique things to the credit of the present Indian Prime Minister is virtually rendering the hard core opposition (for opposition sake) parties and their leaders as struggling to emerge relevant . When there are no issues to indulging in political “gherao” of the Prime Minister, they keep on keenly observing him , his dress, his splendidly growing beard and moustache , who meets him in the crowd, why he or she meets him, his dress , why he did not get vaccinated first of all to instil confidence in the public especially in the likes of Akhilesh Yadav about the safety of the COVID vaccine . Even if done that too – why did he do it first for himself and not bother for others and what not – all with intention to find out something sensational and go on chirping about the ”issue” in whatever way and with whatever interpretation even to the extent of showering innuendoes and oblique on him. That all with impunity in the burst of exercising the Right to Dissent and still go on chanting “Democracy in danger” and democratic and constitutional institutions ”subverted”, is all what we are observing in the country.
During electioneering in poll bound West Bengal , a young citizen in a skull cap was recently seen not only meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi but whispering something into him while having his affectionate arm on his shoulder . Though he was one of the five who managed to get clearance from the security to near the PM and have pleasantries exchanged yet he was singled out since he wore a skull cap and ”must have all been engineered by the PM and the BJP to showcase that Muslims too were with the PM and the ruling BJP” . The other four neither made news nor were they trolled or mocked by the leaders of their religious identities but only Zulfikar Ali was. It is a travesty besides a shabby and shoddy Balance Sheet of democratic norms drawn by few political parties and their leaders that Zulfikar Ali had to prove himself as a ”genuine Muslim” and that it was not something engineered or stage managed or there being nothing adulterated and had to appear in many TV Channels to clarify the position as if some major democratic and constitutional violation had taken place.
In this country , we are having numerous problems but in resolving those, the opposition parties would not cooperate but keep on highlighting them even the CORONA pandemic is sought to be politicised , “shortage of vaccines, short supply to non NDA run states, exporting but at the cost of domestic interest, people turned out from vaccination booths ” and the like are a few canards spread , the pandemic thus trivialised and made a means to settle political scores. How many political leaders in the opposition had even a word of appreciation as to how India was leading in vaccination process with the largest vaccination drive and programme in the world and so far over 90 million people vaccinated while nearly 3 million people are inoculated every 24 hours . On the other hand, how many are getting infected and at what alarming rate in the country with the dreaded and most treacherously elusive COVID -19 virus is not important , why so much of surge in cases and that too only in the few states and how to salvage and control the situation is not important to most of the leaders. How many hours one had to wait around cremation grounds for cremating their loved ones succumbing to the virus , all unceremoniously and perhaps sans that honour and emotional farewell joined by dears , nears, relatives, friends and neighbours etc which they as human beings were entitled to in their last journey – is no one’s concern but why did a skull cap wearing young man meet the PM and what he whispered into his ears is a big issue and it became one. It can become one only in India so long as such issues are allowed to be surfaced for narrow political gains.
This writer, however, envies the stars of Zulfikar Ali for making headlines and had he not worn a skull cap and met the PM bare headed , he would have most probably gone unnoticed. While writing these lines, a conversation of some journalists and Prashant Kishore got leaked which was telecast where the central theme was “why Modi is so popular in Bengal “and shock was expressed over the TMC perhaps conceding the elections – such is the level of impartiality of a few from whom we expect impartial and healthy journalism and fair reporting. However, therefore, the issue of Zulfikar must be “deeply probed” into as to why and what for the skull cap wearing guy met the PM and if he met, what “miraculous or the eighth wonder ” he must have whispered into his ears. Since skull cap wearing citizens are , as if patented by a few political parties only and that also surprisingly even after partition of the country on communal and narrow parochial grounds pressed in by the Muslim League that resulted in 1947 in the birth of a country exclusively for Muslims known as Pakistan and the remaining part as Hindu majority but hard core secular country . The said selected political parties , as patentees , must protect their such rights as they feel ill at ease and on piercing pricks to know how could their patent rights be allowed to get diluted if not impinged upon by any other political party, least by the BJP which repeatedly has been portrayed and propagated as communal and divisive. That illusion, however, gradually is in utter descending order as being seen across the country even after a false narrative and frightening repercussions planted by these few political parties and their leaders in respect of the CAA, NRC and even NPR knowing fully that the NRC and the NPR originate from the Citizenship Rules 2003 and , therefore, any attempt to conflate the two with each other , not only the CAA to create more confusion ,was illegal but the same is termed as protecting the rights of the minorities and exercising rights guaranteed by the constitution.
Asadudin Owasi , the chief of the All India Majlis-e- Ittehad-ul- Muslimeen (AIMIM) , the very title of the party indicative of how much inclusive and secular the said party is , is often seen criticising Narendra Modi and the BJP etc as being anti Muslims , must therefore, get disturbed over the likes of Zulfikar showering love on the PM so openly . We know that Owasi does not get tired of speaking only and only for Muslims in this country in every respect , even in matters of not providing enough cash in ATMs in “Muslim majority areas” during demonetization days – appeared to be very concerned as to how a man wearing a skull cap can be seen in such a close proximity with the Prime Minister when he is projected in a way that such persons should have been keeping a distance from than coming so closer to him . Then not stopping at that , he was eager to decipher the so called “whisper” which true to his wont , he narrated as “I am not a Bangladeshi”; “I will not share any information of identity (Kagaz nahin dhikhaonga) ” et-al.
There was no political leader around to criticise Owasi from any political party in the opposition, at least over his mocking the issues of Bangladeshi illegal immigrants and citizens showing proof of their citizenship . “What does he mean “Kagaz Nahin Dikhaonga” when he himself shows , like all others , all Kagzaat while filing nomination papers for contesting elections to the Parliament ? Can Owasi travel to any part of the world without showing “Kagaz” ? Does he not keep in his possession duly secured all Kagzaat in respect of his immovable and movable properties ? Does he not possess a Driving Licence , a voter card , credentials of being an Hon’ble MP etc ? If yes, why to spread a false narrative ? Everyone living in this country has to show, on demand, all Kagzaat or else one could be termed and rightly so, a non Indian. What is this -“I am not a Bangladeshi’?
Any illegally entered non Indian , be it a Bangladeshi or a Myanmari national or anyone else has to be deported come what may, as enough of such disguised invasion has been going on in this country shockingly after the partition. Zulfikar Ali took on Owasi in a suitable way on many a TV channel watched by millions across the country whereby he made certain remarkable things known that he told the PM , when asked what he wanted , that he neither wanted to be a Councillor , nor an MLA and nor an MP but only wanted to serve the country. He further made it known that he had no objection in saying “Jai Shree Ram” despite being a true Muslim and thus he blunted the narrative of the lobby who would want him to discuss only the religious issues and how he would fight CAA, how he would resist a Uniform Civil Code, how he would deride and berate any move to bring in a law to control population explosion and the like. Last but not the least, Let Owasi also prove himself that much accommodative and broad-minded to get a photograph with a Hindu to equate the variables . Anyway , the sooner we all shun these narrow minded , perverted and exclusive oriented mindset , outlook and psyche , the better would it be for all of us.
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