– M. Naushad Ansari
In the present political system, Muslims feel invisible and insignificant. There is not even a single Muslim minister in the current Union Cabinet, though Muslims constitute more than 14 per cent of India’s population. Not one Member of Parliament in the largest ruling party comes from the Muslim community. Seeing this exclusion, it is only natural that Muslim youth feel discriminated against and alienated. Every socially identifiable group aspires to see its face represented in governance – in the legislature, in the executive, and in decision-making bodies.
Apni Siyasat, Apni Qiyadat
Disillusioned by the repeated betrayal of so-called secular parties and disturbed by the rising incidents of discrimination and oppression, a small section of Muslims now feels the need to support a Muslim-led political party – one that could represent their genuine aspirations. They argue that while smaller caste-based groups actively participate in national politics, join mainstream parties, and secure positions in government, Muslims – despite being over 14 per cent of the population – remain deprived of representation in policy-making bodies and national politics.
This reasoning has given rise to several Muslim-led parties over the decades, such as the Insaf Party, Indian National League, People’s Democratic Front, All India United Democratic Front (Assam), Peace Party, and United Democratic Alliance (U.P.). However, these experiments have largely failed. In fact, in states like Uttar Pradesh and Assam, the condition of Muslims has further deteriorated. Such efforts have fragmented Muslim votes, weakened secular parties, and inadvertently strengthened communal politics.
It is also true that, in the post-Partition era, the community has not yet developed the institutional maturity required to efficiently manage its own bodies such as most of the Waqf Boards and various other Muslim organisations where Muslims are in a governing position.
Inclusive Politics: The Only Sustainable Path
It is often feared that the rise of a Muslim-led political party will only intensify majority vote polarisation. Today, communal majoritarian politics thrives on hate against Muslims, and this hate is further fuelled whenever Muslim-led political formations emerge as seen in Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
This is not to deny the genuine grievances of the Muslim community. However, the solution does not lie in supporting identity-based political outfits.
Recognising these realities, a majority of Muslims believe that their strength lies in the strength of pluralism and in inclusive politics. They continue to support those political parties which uphold the Constitution, democratic values, justice, secularism, and social harmony – even though none of these parties can today be considered ideal. In the absence of a perfect choice, Muslims are compelled to choose the lesser evil to preserve their place within India’s democratic framework.
A Way Forward: Building a Non-Political Forum
Given the present socio-political environment, Muslims are left with no better option than to form and strengthen a non-political representative forum at both the state and national levels. Such an umbrella body should command the trust and confidence of the community and be capable of negotiating with political parties on issues concerning Muslims on a regular basis.
The members and leaders of this forum must embody certain essential moral and ethical qualities like integrity, humility, patience, tolerance, and compassion. They should be open to differing viewpoints, however unconvincing they may seem, and should work sincerely to build unity and warmth among fellow citizens and co-religionists.
At the same time, the community must place realistic expectations from its leadership, accepting that leaders are human, not angelic; that occasional errors of judgment or tactical differences are natural and should be tolerated in the larger interest of collective progress.
