November 21, 2024

There are enough loose cannons in the BJP. Hence, there was no need for UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath to make utterly gross and inflammatory remarks against Muslims in general and Asaduddin Owaisi in particular. Given that he is no longer just a mahant or a religious figure, he should have at least respected the sanctity of his office before indulging in such loose talk. His remarks further alienated the Muslims and gave undue importance to Owaisi whose party had won just 7 of the 119 seats in Telengana last time.

Votes at any cost cannot become the mantra of any party. Statements such as “you can keep your Ali, for us Bajrang Bali will be enough” in response to a Kamal Nath video exhorting Muslims to vote en masse for the Congress was in extremely bad taste. Adityanath must realize three things: first, he presides over a state that has nearly 20% Muslim population. As chief minister he is expected to be unbiased and fair to all citizens. Second, Prime Minister Modi has promised sabka sath, sabka vikas and that must perforce include the Muslim citizens of India. Lastly, and most importantly, law and raj dharma dictate that a person holding such an important position must never make statements that can inflame passions and lead to distrust between communities.

As for the comment that Owaisi will have to flee Telengana if BJP comes to power in that state, some BJP leaders continue to live in a fool’s paradise. They must recognize that Indian Muslims are rooted to the country. They are as much Indian as any Hindu. Religion has no role to play in citizenship or love for the nation. Hence, Owaisi is right in saying that “India is my father’s country” and that “nobody can force me to leave it”. It is sad that some BJP leaders think Muslims are not Indian citizens and should be sent to Pakistan. The old clichés like “they are traitors” or “they support Pakistan when an India-Pakistan match takes place” are activated to instigate Hindus. Riots happen due to distrust spread by biased leaders on both sides and not due to enmity between communities. Election campaigning is no excuse to inflame passions and Adityanath should refrain from lowering the prestige of his office.