06 cover story

COVER STORY

SECULARISM OF MULAYAM ACCOMMODATES

COMMUNALISM

BY A. HAMEED YOUSUF

21 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

COVER STORY

In accordance with the formula that the best way to end poverty is to end the poor, the U.P. government started destroying the camps of the Muzaffarnagar riot victims without making proper arrangement for them. This sparked nationwide condemnation but the government remained undeterred and announced shamelessly that by January 15 there will be no camps mocking at its inability to contain in the rioters and rehabilitating victims. Does a government inconsiderate towards the plight of common people deserve our votes?

A

mong many things over which the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, Mr. Narendra Modi, is targeted by the critics is his failure in ensuring safe return of all the 2002 riots victims to their homes.

The still existent makeshift camps in Gujarat and non-punishment of all those responsible for gang-raping and then killing women, scream loudly of the state being a safe haven for the criminals and a hell for others.As Modi was the then head of the state, he cannot escape his responsibility.

The clean chit by the SIT to Modi in connection with the riots and the subsequent rejection of a local court the petition challenging the SIT conclusion is not the final say in the matter. Those fighting for the victims believe the clutches of the law will at last capture Modi, who along with his bunch is busy repairing his tainted image through the development propaganda. Modi and the company forget that in the socalled development of Gujarat there is little to overhaul his image more so because Guajaratis are a trading

community and that development ushered by Modi is only for the corporate houses!

Despite immense media backing Modi enjoys, he remains a taboo for the secularists of the country because of the 2002 Muslim genocide. His soft behaviour to the miscreants and apathy towards the minorities remain and, so, still haunt him. The sadbhavana drama or skull caps and veils in the political rallies do not help him either.

SIMILARITY BETWEEN MODI AND MULAYAM between Modi and Mulayam has been increasing.

Officially the C.M. of Uttar Pradesh is Akhilesh Yadav, but it is an open secret that the government is managed by Mulayam. So, Mulayam has the lion’s share in failure and achievements of the S.P. government.

In the backdrop of the Muzaffarnagar riots and U.P. government’s inaction in the matter, the clamour of establishing similarity between Modi and Mulayam has been increasing.

Like Modi, the Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav is also sailing in the same boat which takes the communalists safe

22 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

to the shore. In the backdrop of the Muzaffarnagar riots and U.P. government’s inaction in the matter, the clamour of establishing similarity

After the forceful eviction of the Muzaffarnagar riot victims from their camps by the U.P. government— surprisingly CM Akhilesh Yadav claims his government is against forced eviction—it is not just Millat Bedari Muhim Committee which has been saying that ‘Yadav government’s

COVER STORY track record of treating the victims is no better than of Narendra Modi government in Gujarat’. Instead, the Muslim community as a whole has harboured such negative sentiments.

The riots have damaged the reputation of ‘Maulana’ Mulayam badly and surprisingly he does not want to mend it.

A supposed ‘messiah’ of Muslims, Mulayam did not take the pain to visit the camps even once. May be such an attitude brings Jat votes to the fold of the Samajwadi Party, but it will surely keep off the Muslim votes spoiling his chance to be the P.M.

Like Modi, the Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav is also sailing in the same boat which takes the communalists safe to the shore.

Here too he will share the boat with Modi. Mulayam is dreaming he would be the unanimous choice for the PM post if a non-Congress, nonBJP third front formed government post-2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Interestingly, both aspiring for the Delhi chair have one characteristic in common: failure in containing communalism. There exist differences, though. Only over-optimistic can expect that India will tolerate one of the communally tainted politicians as its Prime Minister.

The government of the party headed by Mulayam failed in checking a Gujarat-like violence from taking place. It has been soft on the accused and could not ensure that the riot victims returned back to their original homes.

NGOS COME FORWARD Amidst government apathy to the refuges, the non-governmental organizations played a laudable role in providing relief and rehabilitating the victims. This is yet another case where NGOs surpassed the governments in humanitarian assistance. Jam’iate-Ulama as always has been leading the relief work. The two big leaders of Jam’iat Maulana Arshad Madani and Maulana Mahmood Madani

have been assisting the victims from the very beginning and from every possible angle. Besides Jam’iat, other NGOs like Jama’at-e-Islami, Zakat Foundation, Markazul Maarif, too, shouldered the responsibility of extending helping hands to their brethren. From supplying food items, tents, blankets, cots and other dayto-day life necessities to arranging medical camps and distribution of

NGOs like Jama’at-e-Islami, Zakat Foundation, Markazul Maarif, too, shouldered the responsibility of extending helping hands to their brethren.

23 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

free medicines, these organizations did all considering it an obligation upon them.

Various projects of erecting houses for the refuges under the banner of different NGOs are on.

Although it will lead to ghettoization, something deemed not suitable for the cosmopolitan nature of Indian society, but providing homes to

Maulana Sayed Arshad Madani (seated) handing over the keys of newly-constructed houses to Muzaffarnagar riot victims.

COVER STORY the homeless justifies it. Colonies housing people made refugees in their own homeland are a blot but people living in tents are bigger scar for any society.

Saeed Naqvi, a prominent political analyst, writes in his article titled Like Palestinians, Muslims of Muzaffarnagar forego their right to return, “One would have expected the state government to send the refugees back to the homes they had fled during the riots. True, they have gone through horrible experiences.

They have seen their relatives killed, their wives and daughters raped.

They are therefore afraid returning to their villages unless the state can ensure their security. In normal times

“ They have seen their relatives killed, their wives and daughters raped.

They are therefore afraid returning to their villages unless the state can ensure their security. “ this was supposed to be the duty of the state. But the Samajwadi party appears to be evolving a new pattern of institutionalized apartheid as a means of managing the fallout from communal riots.”

Although for the abysmal condition of the ‘prosecuted Indians’

the U.P. government is wholly to be blamed, some influential Muslim leaders are cautious in putting the blame on the S.P. government as they see the government itself is a victim of communal elements hell bent upon spoiling the atmosphere of the state under Amit Shah; Modi’s right hand man imported from Gujarat to do something miraculous in Ayodhya u.p.’s These leaders should well remember that S.P.’s Mulayam has been taking credit for checking the Hindutva fanatics from demolishing the Babri Masjid. So, why does he fail now?If Mulayam’s success in checking communalists gathers Muslims around him, then his letting loose the communal terrorists should keep Muslims off.

WHY SUPPORT MULAYAM? While Modi is hated by the secularists, Mulayam is deemed to be worthy of being forgiven.

This difference has its origin in the apparent political approach of both the leaders; a secular Mulayam and a communal Modi.

The question here is not most of the Indians would never favour Modi as a PM candidate, but it is that why Mulayam should not be rejected by the voters?

Why should the Muslim community vote for the S.P in the coming Lok Sabha elections? Is there any logic in supporting a party which ultimately fails in its prime duty of maintaining law and order? Caste prejudice and elephant statues aside, the Mayawati government was able 24 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

to successfully rein in the communal elements.

But, the S.P. government has been a total failure on this front. And it is unforgivable. There are intelligence, police and the forces to assist any government, in case some miscreants try to exploit a situation. Crossing of any violence of the 24 hours limit, the experts believe, is a clear indication of government’s involvement in it, whether this invovement is active or passive.

So, there seems a hand of the S.P. government in the Muzaffarnagar violence. Though Ms. Mayawati is the opposition leader of Uttar Pradesh, her statement about a SP-BJP nexus in the violence should not be taken lightly.

COVER STORY

S.P. SOFT TOWARDS COMMUNAL TERRORISTS In fact, government’s criminal negligence towards the situation unfolding in the Western U.P. region prior to the violence could have been forgiven provided that it had acted in a tough manner against the rioters and shown a sympathetic behaviour to the victims. But, perhaps a gameplan of Mulayam to win over the Jat votes did not allow him to do so. Here the Muslim community, the victim of the riots and which had voted S.P. to power, should teach the ruling party a lesson in 2014.

Mulayam Singh has betrayed them, nay, the whole country. His government’s attitude to the victims is no different than that exhibited by Modi to those affected by the 2002 Muslim genocide. Just imagine for how serious and dangerous situation the S.P. government is responsible. For the refugees in the makeshift camps it did little, as the reports revealed. Well, it compensated conditionally some of

Even if just one single person has to agree with these terms, it means the state has failed its responsibility of providing security to everyone. them but the conditions were cruel.

They were asked to sign an affidavit which takes their promise, “Myself and members of my family who have left our village and our homes due to violent incidents in our village, will not now return to our original village and home under any circumstance.”

Yes, after accepting the compensation amount of Rs. 5,00,000/- they will have to renounce ownership of their ancestral properties.

Various organizations have demanded the immediate halt to such atrocities by the government but

their appeals fell on deaf ears. “The government should immediately halt the scheme by which victims are being given Rs 5 lakh by the administration and asked to forgo their right on their homes and land. To deprive the victims of their homes forever will set a bad precedent. It will encourage communal elements and disturb the atmosphere of communal harmony in villages and also create major problems in future,”they say.

Even if just one single person has to agree with these terms, it means the state has failed its responsibility of providing security to everyone.

A person reluctant to return to his village out of fear and sense of insecurity pleads to the human society that they come forward to help him lead a dignified life. But who listens?

The state? No, it has turned deaf.

The society? It is divided on various grounds and perhaps it does not think the pleader is one of them!

WHY NO NATIONWIDE DEMONSTRATIONS FOR RIOT VICTIMS? One sees not big crowds coming in support of the riots victims whose makeshift camps the S.P. government bulldozed leaving them tent-less after they were already homeless. The gang rape and murder of a girl in a moving bus in Delhi shakes the whole country, which is still unsatisfied even though some of those involved were sentenced to death. The whole media becomes a party against justice Ganguly and the journalist Tarun Tejpal as they are accused of molesting girls.

25 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

The question is: is there a single person behind bars, let alone being sentenced to death, for gang-raping women in Muzaffarnagar riots or any riot for that matter? Where are the champions of women’s rights— the media, the NGOs, the feminists, the human rights workers? Why do they not instigate a nationwide campaign for bringing the rapists, the murderers, the looters and the beasts to book? Why do we not see Muslim organizations staging dharna against the S.P. government? Or they are

interested only in the atrocities meted out to the Muslims outside India?

Or these organizations see that in opposition of Mulayam they will be strengthening the BJP? Is their inclination towards secularism urges them to forgive the government which the ‘opponents have been trying to defame’? Are they compelled to support the Samajwadi Party as the only option available for Muslims in U.P.? Perhaps, not.

COVER STORY

DECEIVED NO LONGER BY SECULARISM It is a very significant question: why should the parties like S.P. be supported in the name of secularism if they, too, bow to the communalists?

Akhilesh government dares not to tell the communalists in open words that if they again tried to spoil the atmosphere, they will be in the clutches of law. The government is not in a position to guarantee that riot victims will be safe back at their homes. It seems to concede defeat before a bunch of terrorists. What is it if it is not a compromise with the communal elements? There are Palestinians being made out of Indian Muslims under the patronisation of Samajwadi party.The party is becoming an Israel, rather America in this case!

Writes Naqvi, “Who knows, the UP government may have embarked on an imitable model. If the majority community in a village has grown tired of that profaned term

One sees not big crowds coming in support of the riots victims whose makeshift camps the S.P. government bulldozed leaving them tent-less after they were already homeless.

“composite” culture, all it has to do is to riot on a massive scale and drive out the minority into make shift refugee makeshift camps. The SP officials will show up cash-in-hand and ensure that the minority never returns to the homes it has abandoned…It is also possible that the state government is not being as cynical as it may appear to be. It possibly has collaborators among the Muslim clergy…(some Muslim organizations) considers the separation of poor Muslim families, a minority in many villages, from the

prosperous Jat majority an outcome to be desired. Why? Because wives and daughters of the extremely poor Muslims are exposed to sexual exploitation by the rich.Will they not be so exploited as gypsies or in new settlements they know nothing about?” They were driven out of their homes to, perhaps, never return back.

Their immovable properties will be encroached upon with the society remaining a mute spectator!”

In a case reminiscent of how Nero fiddled while Rome burnt, about 10 Samajwadi legislators have spend crores on a foreign jaunt igmnoring the hapless plight of the riot victims. To add insult to in ujury, the Samajwadi party orgagainised a big bash called Safai programme in which film stars were invited. Crores were spent on music and dancing while the poor huudled and froze in makeshift camps. This is sheer brazen apathy.

COMMUNAL VIOLENCE BILL The pathetic situation of the victims of Muzaffarnagar riots and inaction against the communal terrorists underscores the need for enactment of the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill. A legislation of such nature was promised by the UPA long back in the 2004. Since then, it remains a promise unfulfilled. The experts believe that such a legislation will ensure protection to the minorities often targeted by communalists.

26 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

A citizen’s memo sent in October last year to the UPA Government about fulfilling its promise to enact a law that protects all against communal and targeted violence, signed by around 92 secular and civil liberty activists, women’s rights activists, legal experts, academicians and organizations urged the government to draft a new legislation, the primary focus of which should be to secure accountability of public servants and to hold them responsible for communal and

targeted violence, as well as make provision for providing reparative justice to all victims and survivors of such violence.

It reads that “The recent outbreak of communal violence in Muzaffarnagar once again reminds us of the urgent and dire need for a law against communal and targeted violence. It has been repeatedly observed that it is not that the Executive does not have the powers needed to prevent and control a

COVER STORY situation of communal and targeted violence. It is the lack of accountability of public servants, officials and others exercising political, executive, administrative and law enforcement powers, further aggravated by institutional bias and complicity that leads to the non-use or misuse of such powers by State functionaries.

Almost all incidents of communal violence reveal a pattern of planned or targeted violence; abdication by the state machinery of the responsibility to protect; occurrence of gender based crimes with specific targeting of women’s bodies; followed by indifferent or partisan investigations and consequently absolute impunity for the horrific crimes committed in these violent assaults. The survivors, debilitated and shattered by the violence, with no recognized rights to reparative justice are left to live on the margins of fear and destitution. In almost each incident of targeting of persons on account of their religion, caste, ethnicity or linguistic identity, this pattern has been discerned. There was therefore a clear and unequivocal call for rejecting a Bill that would in any way enhance the arsenal of state

Is there any difference between Modi and Mulayam when it comes to protecting minorities? If not, then why is it that we oppose the former while support the latter? power.”

There is a strong propaganda of this bill being anti-Hindu. This perception, in fact, is not baseless as ultimately the enacted law will end up scrunching the Hindutvadis who lead almost every communal riot. The UPA government, unfortunately, has been succumbing to the pressure of the Hindutvadis in this matter. For political reasons it does repeat the

promise of having the bill enacted as a law. Before the winter session of the Parliament, due to the mounting pressure from the civil society and for giving a lollipop to the minorities, the centre also advertised its willingness to have the bill passed in the parliament. However, the result was disappointing and discouraging. It was encouraging, though, but only for the communalists; the communalists such as those who perpetuated the Muzaffarnagar violence and who are still roaming freely due to the U.P. government being soft towards them.

The zillion-dollar question is: is there any difference between Modi and Mulayam when it comes to protecting minorities? If not, then why is it that we oppose the former while support the latter? We should stand by principles: anyone failing in providing security to citizens, may it be the Congress, the BJP or SP for that matter, we should not support them.

Then, towards which party or parties should be our political inclination is to be decided by those who are capable of giving the community a direction.

“Another refugee, Mohammad Manga, also feels cheated by the government. “The officers gave me 10 kg rice on Wednesday (January 1) and promised they would also provide me a house if I leave the Loee camp. They brought a trolley and asked me and my family to load our belongings in it so that they could take us to Khadda Khampur locality where some houses were built by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind for the refugees.

They dropped us there, but most houses were already occupied. When we somehow returned to Loee, the police didn’t let us in. Now I am living in an agricultural field.”(indiatoday.in)

27 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

COVER STORY

S.P. LEADER’S THAT INSENSITIVITY TO THE PLIGHT OF VICTIMS Beginning 27 August 2013, the riots claimed 73 lives and left 93 injured. Properties worth crores of rupees were destroyed and approximately 50,000 were rendered homeless. It is described as “the worst violence in UP in recent memory”. Yet the state government showed a callous attitude and its leaders most of the time seemed rubbing salt on the wounds of the victims either through inaction or denying their pains at all. Here are some of their statements: “Nobody dies of the cold; if people did, then nobody would survive in Siberia,” AK Gupta, Principal Secretary, Home, U.P. Government “There are no riot victims at all in the camps. There is not even one. You can check. These are people who are conspirators. BJP and Congress have conspired. They have asked people to stay there at night and sit in dharnas. This is conspiracy of the people there.” S.P. Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav

With funds and relief material freely flowing in from various sources, the relief camp organisers, mostly neighbourhood madrasas and local leaders have been spreading rumours and instilling fear among the minorities. At some places even those staying in relief centres were not keen on returning as they had ample facilities at the camp site. At other places people are refusing to go back home as they have been told that the forest land that they are occupying will be allotted to them soon.” Some of the findings of the 10-member ministerial panel chaired by senior UP minister Shivpal Yadav “Whatever happened in Muzaffarnagar started a long time ago. Several incidents happened and if you look closely you will realise that some people were carefully planning this kind of violence” Akhilesh Yadav, U.P. CM

MUZAFFARNAGAR POLITICS OVER RIOTS “The present state government has acted very late. It has allowed communal tensions to simmer for 10 days and I can say that they are presiding over jungle raaj in the state… The BJP and SP are hand-inglove and they want to give a communal colour to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.” BSP Supremo Mayawati “Those who engineer communal riots want that you should not go back. This benefits them. They want to keep you away from your villages. I know it is difficult and there is also fear there but we have to think beyond. This will not be good in the long run.

The message goes out that you will not go back to your villages. Those fanning communal riots precisely want this to happen,” Rahul Gandhi,Congress VP “We must help riot victims of Muzaffarnagar...

28 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

Authorities did not help riot victims as much as they should have.” RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav “BJP MLAs and workers and people from a particular community are being targeted by your (Samajwadi Party) government.” Uma Bharti, BJP leader.

“From Muzaffarnagar violence, administrative failure of SP government has once again come to fore.

It has proved that Akhilesh government has bowed in front of criminals and it should immediately resign.”

Swami Prasad Maurya “The violence in Muzaffarnagar is on and government is a mute spectator to it...The government is doing politics of communalism.” Naseemuddin

COVER STORY

Siddiqui “SP Govt’s track record in this tenure is bad.

Haven’t been able to control Communal forces in UP. Even BSP’s was better.” Digvijaya Singh “The district administration should have taken measures to prevent the people from Haryana and Delhi from reaching the venue of the Mahapanchayat.

The district magistrate should not look at Lucknow always for instructions. He should have exercised his discretion and prevented the people from other states from reaching Muzaffarnagar. India is a free country and there is no restriction on people from other states

coming to UP. However, they should have behaved responsibly.” Azam Khan, SP’s Muslim face “I had warned the state Chief Minister of the build-up. The number of cases of communal disturbances have increased in UP in 2013. I spoke to UP CM and told him tension is rising and arrangements need to be made. He said he would make arrangements” Sushil Kumar Shinde “Can’t die of the cold”!!!! Send him out in a few less clothes & let’s see if he isn’t singing a different tune pretty damn quick,” Omar Abdullah, J&K, on AK Gupta’s remark

One sees not big crowds coming in support of the riots victims whose makeshift camps the S.P. government bulldozed leaving them tent-less after they were already homeless.

29 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014