In Washington DC, during a press conference at the National Press Club, a foreign journalist asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, ‘You talked about secularism and democracy while opposing the Hindu party BJP. However, Congress in Kerala has been in alliance with a Muslim party – Muslim League in Kerala, the state from which you are MP…’
To which Rahul Gandhi immediately responded in a ‘matter of fact’ manner, and said, ‘Muslim League is a completely secular party, there’s nothing non secular about the Muslim league. I think the person, hasn’t studied the Muslim League’
There are so many overt dichotomies in his assertion that we can’t help but point out. This statement also comes right after he mockingly used the words ‘lying down and all that’ while referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gesture of doing a ‘Shashtanga Pranam’ before the Sengol in India’s New Parliament Building.
Let’s talk about these dichotomies:
In Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh, Congress CM Bhupesh Baghel is presiding over ‘National Ramayan Mahotsav’ – the grand celebrations include Ramayan March Past and Hanuman Chalisa Path
In Madhya Pradesh, Congress which wanted ‘90% Muslim vote’ in 2018, is now relying on 32 year old Katha-wachak Richa Goswami to counter BJP’s ‘Hindutva’ pitch
In Karnataka, Congress equated Bajrang Dal to PFI and promised a ban on the outfit, it is now in power and data shows that Muslim vote completely consolidated behind Congress in the southern state
In the United States, after mocking Hindu traditions of ‘Shashtanga Pranam’ and calling the installation of ‘Sengol’ a drama and after pushing the ‘muslims under threat’ narrative – Rahul Gandhi calls Jinnah inspired IUML – ‘Secular
For the uninitiated, here are some facts on IUML’s chequered history:
Mohammed Ismail, the first president of IUML – an outfit that is believed to have been formed on the advice of Mohammed Ali Jinnah to keep the ‘spirit’ of Muslim League alive in India – was an ardent supporter of the creator of Pakistan. He supported retaining of the Sharia law for Indian Muslims in the Constituent Assembly for Indian Muslims.
The founding president of IUML, Mohammed Ismail, had also bargained with Congress to recognise IUML as the ‘sole representative of muslims’ – he was clearly walking on the footsteps of Jinnah.
Why go so far? In 2003, IUML was accused of flaring up communal tensions in Kerala. As per the report of Justice Thomas P Joseph Commission – IUML was found involved in the brutal Marad massacre – which led to the killing of 8 Hindus
In 2017, CBI in its FIR named IUML leaders PP Moideen Koya and Modern Haji as accused responsible for funding, conspiring and executing the anti Hindu Marad massacre
‘Congress’ strategy is crystal clear:-
‘Divide Hindus and constantly signal to the Muslim community that it is their core votebase’
PRADEEP BHANDARI’S TAKE:
Rahul Gandhi knows that even after certifying Sharia backing Indian Muslim League as a secular party, his party will announce freebies, he will become a ‘janeu-dhari’ Hindu and go on temple runs before elections, offer guarantees, embark on another walk and the Hindus will forget its appeasement politics.
The Congress party knows that to win elections, its core vote base has to consolidate completely. Rahul Gandhi knows that his party can only come to power when ‘Muslim vote consolidates, & Hindu vote divides’
He knows that either today or tomorrow Hindu vote will get divided on caste lines. We saw it in Karnataka, where Muslim were united with more than 80% went with Congress , it was the Lingayat community that switched sides.
In post independent history, INC’s version of secularism which was nothing but Muslim appeasement. They suffered big electoral jolts only twice – in 2014 & 2019, when the majority pushed back against this form of appeasement. Will 2024 be no different? We will have to wait & watch
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