If you read ‘a Muslim girl’ in the title, and bothered to click, I’m not surprised. I have never been more conscious of my religious identity, as I have been MADE aware of it during the past four to five years of my life.
Do I Blame The Modi Government?
The answer is not what you expect. I don’t know if I am sure about the answer, but here I am, trying to express what most liberals or bhakts didn’t bother to say in the past five years.
Being a minority in India has been a matter of privilege if you travel through the depths of the Constitution. However, this privilege comes with a hefty price. A price that led some people in our country to believe ‘Hindu Khatre Mein Hai.'(Hinduism is in danger.)
In exchange for every privilege minorities received in the form of “minority appeasement” and equity, India had to bear the slow internal decay of its “secular” nature, whose symptoms rarely creaked open and resurfaced during a “secular” government. While most of the time, secularism looked healthy in the garb of the tri-colour skin we wore.
Modi 1.0 was an active eruption after decades of dormant communalism that boiled and unfolded itself through the years.
So, Do I blame The Modi Government?
In more clear terms, the answer is a yes and a no.
I think there was less “biased” law enforcement against Muslims under Modi’s 1.0 regime topped by the Triple Talaq bill that almost fetched him a small group of Muslim women supporters.
What probably caused the beginning of the “fear” among Muslims, is a blast from the past- the Gujarat Riots of 2002, that seems to be stuck as a ‘vetal’ (troll) to Modi’s ‘vikram’ (heroism).
This image further worsened with the increase in mob lynching cases and cow vigilantism; people attempting to be the “chowkidars” to a cow’s shed.
One might argue that Modi’s bhakt regime, whoever they are, don’t influence his own pure and pious thoughts of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’. (Progress for everyone, with everyone)
I’d say, rightly so. However, the ever controversial statements of BJP leaders, the decision to let radical pro-Hindutva and terror accused politicians such as Sadhvi Pragya, infiltrate the parliament, the decision to accept illegal immigrants based on religion and the amount of paid BJP social media marketing by the IT cell, suggests the contrary, and forces people to see the two as one.
The Role Of Left-Wing Politics
In my opinion, Left-wing politics, despite trying to act as the ‘Messiah’ of Muslims and other minority groups in India, have used communalism under the surface to project themselves as minority sympathisers and play vote bank politics.
While BJP for years didn’t bother to target anybody other than the strong Hindu vote bank because the slogan ‘Mandir Wahi Banega’ (the temple will be built there) was apparently enough.
I think the left and the entire Opposition have been downright hypocrites to use mandir politics on one hand, and play the ‘Dara hua Musalman’ card on another.
Why Don’t Muslims Feel Secure Under The Right Wing Party’s Rule?
- Communal violence and polarised coommunities.
- People ready to curse or hurt each other from the other side of their keyboards.
- The people demanding a Hindu nation.
- Yogi Adityanath on a mission to erase the name and memory of every city that has connections with an Islamic past.
The Question Is, Were Five Years Enough To Spill The Poison?
According to me, political ‘snakes’ have been biting the secular fabric of our nation for decades. This my friends are years of pent up emotions gifted to the nation by the secular regimes of the past and doubly spiced by the successful and strong Hindutva politics played by the BJP.
If you were to ask me, I could have a hundred problems with the BJP, but my Muslim identity, ain’t one. Attack on democracy? Maybe. Here’s hoping for five years of a progressive India.
A version of this post was first published here.