Indian Politics : Muslims would prefer Aam Aadmi Party in parliamentary poll

-DR. ABDUL RUFF COLACHAL 

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Indian Muslims, except the  rich guys,  are at perpetual a crossroads, not knowing how to make the rulers realize the need  to consider their pathetic existence. 

Muslims are very much impressed by the Aam Aadmi party's robust Delhi performance without using any communal card - for the first time in Indian politics. 

Most Muslims would now think they can trust the new party and see how it performs as central government  if and when it  wins the Parliamentary poll scheduled in in months from now. . 

Today, after the historic victory in Delhi, the Common-man’s (Aam Aadmi) Party is being looked upon by people as well as leaders plus their parties as a timely boon to India. The new party has emerged  out of struggle of common people to make India a strong corruption free nation - perhaps the first-ever nation then to have achieved that feat in the history of human kind. 

With the arrival of Common-man’s (Aam Aadmi) Party and its spectacular victory in Delhi assembly elections, making an incredible impact on national polity, the leading political parties at national and regional levels feel no safe now.

People from all walks of life, disillusioned with the corrupt political parties that have deformed nation’s image abroad and generated a rotten system that is irresponsible and insensitive to the needs of common masses, now consider the new party a boon to nation, albeit belated.

Aam Admi party has created history in India only to help the common masses, save the nation from international embarrassments.

As a positive sign, more and more people, scholars and leaders join the Aam Aadmi party to work as ordinary members under an ordinary leader Aravind Kejriwal.  

Now, after watching the AAP activities and convinced of their sincerity and integrity, Muslims also pour into the party stream.

Muslims in India, like all other sections of bribery India see and feel that they have got before them a dependable, credible alternative in Aam Aadmi Party.

Traditional fear complex from which the Muslims in India have been suffering owing to the promotion and propagation of Hindutva ideology by the right wing Hindutva political outfits is being exploited by every party to coerce the Muslims to vote for them.  

By playing a secret anti-Muslim game with the state promoted Hindutva criminal forces at national level, Congress party has been chief beneficiary of this nonsensical anti-Islamic trend since independence in 1947 harming genuine Muslim interests and threatening their existence in this so-called secular democracy, while most parties used the Muslims against their will and conscience to vote for them, even as Hindutva outfits, shielded by the judiciary and state, target Muslims to expand their Hindu vote bank across the nation.

As Common-man’s (Aam Aadmi) Party’s national profile is being exceedingly stabilized, Muslims think they have a chance to  live in the country  as secured human with dignity without being insulted  and attacked by communal majority.

Aam Aadmi party has taken all these parties by surprise. Muslims would see the party as a very strong counter-force against all exploitative political outfits in the country, so far enjoying the misfortunes of minority Muslims, to win their confidence. 

This fear of the known has sparked off copycat policies and decisions, ranging from cutting perks to offering subsidies, while AAP's membership numbers swell at an unprecedented rate-from a few hundred to tens of thousands in cities from Chandigarh to Chennai and Mumbai to Kolkata.

Most Muslims in the Delhi might have voted, as usual, for Congress in order to deny the Hindutva forces winning chances. But in the post-poll scenario, many Muslims in Delhi are very happy with the arrival of Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party on the political scene. But Muslims, who always had a representation in the Sheila Dikshit
cabinet, are disappointed that there is no Muslim in Kejriwal's six member cabinet as no Muslim was elected as AAP candidate.

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Muslims themselves are to be blamed for this. Prior to and during the Delhi elections, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal left no stone unturned to court Muslims and their leaders. But neither Muslim groups, look to Congress to defeat BJP, supported him the way other segments of the population did. Only individual Muslims voted for the AAP.

The media and his critics criticized Kejriwal for seeking Muslim support. He however defended his stand and sought to justify seeking support of the Muslim clerics and other Muslims. AAP wants to serve everybody.

Congress used its route channels to push Muslims to vote for it by using BJP as the biggest monster. Days before the election, Kejriwal met the amir of a top Muslim group in Delhi. Kejriwal announced later that the Muslim organization was ready to back the AAP. But amazingly, the same day this group announced its support for two Congress candidates. Almost every other Muslim group did the same.

There is no doubt that Muslims are feeling left out due to their leadership's lack of ability to see what was destined to come. Even now there are many so-called Muslim intellectuals supporting Congress party who continue to “doubt” the AAP.

Existing under the shadow of Congress party in order to “save” themselves from the onslaught of BJP led Hindutva criminal forces, Muslims were reluctant to join the Anna Hazare movement because of its closeness to Saffron parties.

After coming out of the Anna fold, Kejriwal has portrayed himself as the champion of Aam Aadmi. His crusade has been directed mainly against corruption in the government and to some extent poverty.

Now there are Muslims who have been calling on the community and its leaders to support the AAP before it is too late. Kejriwal has been trying his best to open communication with Muslims. At a meeting in Mumbai, representatives of some Muslim groups bombarded Kejriwal with a host of questions. Kejriwal spoke in his usual frank and free manner. Except for those more concerned with a Congress backlash, others welcomed Kejriwal, single-minded activist who wants to cleanse governance of this country.

AAP, unlike other routine political outfits using the parliament and assemblies to promote the interest of the multinationals and rich, does not look like being focused on mere votes but common people, their place in the country. A political organization like the AAP can be trusted to bring the people of all faiths together and work for making people accept one another as fellow human beings, and not on caste or religion basis.

If AAP as the  most secular party of India rules India, Muslims can be fully safe without the fear of national enemies that target their lives and properties, including mosques. There is no doubt that but for the AAP and Kejriwal's sincerity, charisma, a Muslim Ms. Shazia
Ilmi couldn't have got 27,691 votes from R.K. Puram where there are
hardly any Muslim voters. She lost by just 300 votes. Ishrat Ali Ansari of the AAP got more than 15,000 votes from Krishna Nagar from where Harsh Vardhan, BJP's chief ministerial candidate, contested. In this constituency too there are hardly any Muslim voters.

AAP has the courage to field Muslim candidates even in constituencies where there are hardly any Muslims. That is indeed the fundamental difference between AAP and other political parties in India.

Observation

The Common-man’s (Aam Aadmi) is now a national phenomenon, capturing global imagination to influence the  global polity. 

The AAP party ideology has been the talk of global politicians as well, and  quite likely other countries would also  imbibe the AAP ideas to care for common people. 

The rise of the AAP is a first ever triumph for common people, truth, simplicity, secularism and hard work.

There are common issues for all Indians, and Kejriwal and his AAP are trying to bring the whole nation together.

The name AAP should also be  given in regional languages, especially in the southern parts of India,  to make common people feel at home with the name of the party.

AAP is expected to contest over 300 Lok Sabha seats across 20 states, including all 80 in Uttar Pradesh, .all 26 in Gujarat state (where Mahatma Gandhi was also born)  where now BJP Hindutva prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi with Muslim blood in his palms  Approximately 200 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats are considered urban. Of the 725 million total electorate (2014), nearly 150 million are first-time voters, which is statistically Kejriwal's strongest vote bank.

The AAP is yet to clarify its position on issues like secularism, reservation and communal riots. It is not quite clear yet whether the AAP's rise will hit the ultra Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party or the anti-Babri Mosque Congress party more. But AAP is likely to make an ever lasting impression n international scene as the most popular party of India.

Since AAP stand for ordinary people, ordinary Muslims have the same issues and problems confronting them in their daily lives like ordinary Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, others. Poverty, illiteracy, corruption and lack of employment avenues are common concerns. The AAP promises to work on all issues confronting common people of India.

It looks certain majority of Muslim in India would give AAP a fair chance to help them, 

Most likely, the choice of Delhiites would also be a choice of people at national level as well.