India News

If Freelance Muslim Spokesmen Do Not Shut Up, Its Advantage BJP

Published

9 years ago

November 5, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By- Saeed Naqvi

It is one of the great ironies of our times that Muslims are a problem for all political parties, except the BJP. In a totally different way, for Mamata too. Without Muslims as a foil, there would be no Hindutva game plan. If, by some miracle, Indian Muslims were to vanish into thin air, the social edifice erected so far, around which politics is spun, would collapse. Communities and castes would splinter. A new adhesive would be required to put Humpty Dumpty together again.

For the Congress, Muslims are a squeezed lemon. It would be indiscreet for them to say so but it is a fact they have internalized. Having been copiously used, the Muslim can now be discarded. The party may discard them but the far right, for its own reasons, can still allege a Congress collusion with minorities: “look they are silent on Love Jihad, how our women are being exploited.”

Confronted with this “have you stopped beating your wife question”, the Congress looks the other way. The other day, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India expressed his exasperation with what he called the “Muslim question”. To navigate politics past communalism, it is important to set aside “the Muslim question” he said. I suppose “setting aside” means ignoring the issue, not talking about it.

This is easier said than done. How do you set aside a community whose would be leaders pop up, like eager beavers, on the most aggressive channels only to be brutalized by the anchors. They may imagine their being willingly pummeled earns them brownie points with the Qaum and for their own next life, but in this life their rants only swell the ranks of the BJP. As a function of deep strategy, the Muslim must shut up.

That the BJP led government has appointed an interlocutor for Kashmir is welcome because any talk is an advance on the jam in which Kashmir is. But anyone with minimal common sense knows that the interlocutor has not been appointed to proceed towards any resolution of the issue. That would require reaching out to Pakistan.

Such a scenario is unthinkable before the 2019 general elections. And for a very simple reason. Indo-Pak talks would bring down the communal temperature. It would cause the saffron in the air to turn pale. National Anthem, Vande Matram, lynching for the cow, Love Jihad, Ram Temple are all nudging the nation towards a crescendo, a climactic clashing of the Cymbals. This carefully crafted backdrop would begin to fray if the interlocutor were to be infused with serious purpose.

In this national mood, with saffron as the dominant shade, political parties can quite sensibly avoid responding to issues the Hindutva tribe is tossing up to provoke Muslims, a sort of invitation for their most willing but least articulate spokesmen to rush to TV channels.

It is a tossup whether these solo operators do more harm to the Muslim cause or the collective called the Muslim Personal Law Board. Both are self appointed and both, by the sheer quality of and frequency of their utterances, serve as multipliers for the Hindutva cause. A contrived feeling of pre eminence in the wider community is so heady for this lot that it blinds them to the harm they do. It serves the Hindutva purpose to confer recognition on this growing multitude of spokesmen in the clerical mould, supremely identifiable as the “other”.

It is not that the Hindutva spokesmen on show are God’s gift to brilliant debates. They are quite as hopeless as the counterparts they have been set up to tease. Their job is to peg away at a nagging length on an issue in such a way as to invite bumbling responses and thereby add a few shades to the saffron already in the air.

If I am being carried away it is because the imagery in my mind derives largely from the Hindi belt, Maharashtra and Gujarat. There being no monoliths in India, the communal interplay in the South, for instance, is different, except Telengana where memories from Nizam’s rule have faded but attitudes linger.

Communal politics in Kerala became possible because currents came together in the 80s. The quadrupling of oil prices attracted labour from Malabar who returned with irritating new wealth some of which went into the building of garish villas, the Dubai houses, quite out of character with Kerala’s austere skyline. Along with the nouveau riche came nouveau Islam, complete with hijab and other marks of assertion. The phenomena coincided with Nizam e Mustafa in Zia ul Haq’s Pakistan. The huge play given to the 1981 Meenakshipuram conversions in neighbouring Tamil Nadu was the final cherry on the communal cake.

The RSS has therefore gained but not enough to break its duck in the State Assembly. But it is making inroads through its undeclared B team, the Congress. The purpose of this configuration is to devour the CPM.

It is this RSS-Congress interplay, which peaked during K. Karunakaran’s Chief Ministership, that makes CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury’s proposed line for the 2019 elections so reckless. He sees Narendra Modi as the ogre which all democratic forces, primarily the Congress, must combine to crush. His heavy weight Politburu comrade, Prakash Karat says “plague on both their houses”. How can the CPM support the Congress which it fights tooth and nail in Kerala? And you never know when they start playing toey toey with each other.

Yechury’s basic anxiety is to recover the Kingdom of West Bengal lost to Mamata Banerjee. For this reason, the CPM coordinated with the Congress for 2016 Assembly elections and came a cropper.

Mamata has mobilized the State’s 30 per cent Muslim as the central column of her support. While Mamata, with cent percent Muslim support, is willing to stand on the secular democratic platform against Modi, Yechury sees Mamata as the main enemy.

To take advantage of the confusion, the BJP has rushed to preempt the opposition by announcing November 8, the first anniversary of Demonetization, as Black Money Day. Congress, JDU, RJD, DMK, SP, BSP, Trinamool etcetera have sworn to dwarf BJP with their very own “Day of Shame”. Why is the Left missing from this galaxy? Because the CPM is unwilling to stand on the same platform as Mamata.

Instead, the Left will have their own show – day of Protest. Does this not weaken the opposition against Modi?

No, no, no, Yechury’s voice wafts across. We shall walk separately but strike together.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Delhi deploys 25,000 personnel, installs CCTV cameras ahead of CJP march

More than 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Delhi ahead of the CJP’s planned protest march at Connaught Place. Authorities have also imposed restrictions and stepped up CCTV surveillance.

Published

9 hours ago

October 16, 2026

APNLive Desk

Delhi has stepped up security ahead of a planned protest march by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), with more than 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed and additional surveillance measures introduced in parts of the national capital.

The planned “Lehra Do Tiranga” march is scheduled to take place at Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday, October 16. Authorities have also imposed prohibitory orders in Connaught Place and surrounding areas as part of the security arrangements.

Security tightened across Connaught Place

The security arrangements include the deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, along with the installation of additional CCTV cameras at Central Park and Rajiv Chowk Metro Station.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in Connaught Place and nearby areas. Central Park is also scheduled to remain closed for two days, with authorities advising the public to avoid the area during the arrangements.

A high-level meeting chaired by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, attended by senior police officers, was held on Thursday to review preparations ahead of the planned demonstration.

Why CJP is planning the march

The CJP has called the march to protest the arrest of its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter rolls.

The party’s protest is centred on its allegations concerning the electoral roll revision process. These are the protesters’ claims and should not be treated as independently established findings.

With Jantar Mantar no longer designated as a protest site, Central Park in Connaught Place has emerged as the proposed location for the fresh demonstration. The protest has also received support from the Aam Aadmi Party and the All India Students’ Association, according to the report.

Traders raise concerns over business disruptions

The heightened security measures have also prompted concerns among traders in the area.

Traders at Palika Bazaar have expressed concern about disruptions during the festive season, pointing to losses associated with previous protests. The concerns reflect the potential impact of repeated demonstrations and security restrictions on commercial activity in central Delhi.

Delhi Police has said it will facilitate peaceful demonstrators selectively while maintaining public order and protecting property.

India News

Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘Your Friends’ jab at Rahul Gandhi over congress exits

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a dig at Rahul Gandhi after the Leader of the Opposition reportedly described former party leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ghulam Nabi Azad as among those who had left the Congress.

Published

9 hours ago

October 16, 2026

APNLive Desk

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge made a pointed remark about former Congress leaders after Rahul Gandhi reportedly described some of those who left the party as people who had been driven by personal interests or fear. The exchange took place during an informal interaction involving young Congress workers, according to a report published on October 15.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reportedly referred to former Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ghulam Nabi Azad while discussing people who had left the party. Kharge responded with a quip that drew attention to Rahul Gandhi’s earlier association with the leaders.

What Rahul Gandhi said about leaders who left Congress

During the interaction, Rahul Gandhi reportedly said that the Congress was now left with committed workers, describing those who remained in the party as ‘babbar sher’ or lions. He alleged that people who were greedy or afraid had left, citing Scindia and Azad as examples.

His reported remarks referred to people who, he suggested, had left because of the attraction of positions and security or fear of investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

These were Rahul Gandhi’s political characterisations of the leaders who left the Congress, rather than independently established explanations for their departures.

Kharge’s response to Rahul Gandhi

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s account, Kharge remarked, “They were all your friends.”

The comment referred to the association Rahul Gandhi had previously shared with some of the leaders who later left the Congress. Rahul Gandhi responded by saying that his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, was present and knew that Scindia was not his friend.

He subsequently reflected on the difficulty of identifying friends and opponents in politics, saying that people who appear to be friends may not necessarily be so, and the reverse may also be true.

Why Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ghulam Nabi Azad were mentioned

Jyotiraditya Scindia left the Congress in 2020 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His departure was followed by a political crisis in Madhya Pradesh that resulted in the fall of the Congress government led by Kamal Nath.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, a veteran Congress leader, resigned from the party in August 2022. In his resignation letter, he criticised Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and the functioning of the party’s internal decision-making process.

Both leaders subsequently became prominent examples in political discussions about senior figures leaving the Congress, although their reasons and circumstances differed.

Rahul Gandhi’s message to young Congress workers

The interaction also focused on protests and political mobilisation. Rahul Gandhi reportedly told young Congress workers that demonstrations and struggles were part of their political training and encouraged them to explore new and creative ways of protesting.

He also suggested holding protests at Jantar Mantar, according to the report.

Congress president Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present during the interaction. Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was dependent on the next eight to 10 months, though the report did not establish this as an independently verified assessment.

The exchange between Kharge and Rahul Gandhi offered a glimpse into the Congress leadership’s informal discussions, while bringing the departures of Scindia and Azad back into the political conversation.

India News

Delhi Police offers 11-person limit for CJP’s Connaught Place protest

Delhi Police has offered to facilitate a group of 11 people at Central Park in Connaught Place for the Cockroach Janata Party’s October 16 protest, while warning that violations of prohibitory orders could invite legal action.

Published

21 hours ago

October 15, 2026

APNLive Desk

Delhi Police has proposed allowing a group of 11 people to carry the national flag and sing the national anthem at Central Park in Connaught Place on October 16, ahead of a protest called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) over alleged electoral fraud.

The police said it could facilitate the group at a suitable place in the park, while appealing to the public not to join the proposed gathering in large numbers. The offer comes amid prohibitory orders in Connaught Place and adjoining areas under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has called on people to assemble at Central Park at 5 pm on Friday with the national flag. The proposed demonstration, named “Lehra Do Tiranga”, follows the detention of CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka during an earlier protest.

Why Delhi Police proposed limiting the gathering

In its statement, Delhi Police cited the prevailing security and law-and-order situation in the area. It also referred to information from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) that Central Park would remain closed on October 16 and 17 for administrative reasons.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav said the NDMC had informed the police about the closure and had asked that no gathering be allowed near the park.

The police also cited representations from trader and market associations in Connaught Place and surrounding areas. According to the police, the associations had raised concerns about unlawful assemblies and their impact on businesses, particularly during the festive season.

Police warned that violations of Section 163 BNSS would invite appropriate legal action. It also stressed that the national flag must be displayed and carried, and the national anthem sung, in the prescribed manner with due respect and dignity.

Delhi High Court declines to stop CJP protest

The proposed gathering reached the Delhi High Court after a vendor sought intervention over concerns about disruption to businesses and public movement in Connaught Place.

On Thursday, the court declined to restrain the CJP from holding the protest. It recorded the police’s assurance that all possible measures under the law would be taken to regulate the gathering and maintain peace.

The petition was filed by a vendor at Palika Bazar in Connaught Place, who raised concerns about the potential impact of the demonstration on traders and others working in the area.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the authorities, told the court that steps had already been taken to regulate the proposed protest.

CJP’s protest call follows detention of party members

Dipke’s October 16 protest call follows earlier demonstrations over alleged electoral fraud. CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka are in jail on trespass charges after raising the national flag at Jantar Mantar earlier this week, according to the report.

The party has been protesting over alleged electoral fraud and has raised questions about the Election Commission.

Dipke has urged people to gather at Central Park with the national flag, arguing that raising the Tricolour should not be treated as a crime.

The police’s proposal to facilitate a group of 11 people came as the authorities sought to prevent a larger gathering at the site. The CJP’s response to the police’s offer was still awaited in the report published on October 15.