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The Raging Guha-Mander Debate Deserves Wider Participation

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8 years ago

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The Raging Guha-Mander Debate Deserves Wider Participation

~By Saeed Naqvi

It does not surprise me that the continuing debate on the Op-Ed page of the Indian Express on the Muslim predicament skirts fundamental issues. The debate has been triggered by Ramchandra Guha disagreeing with Harsh Mander on the Muslim question.

Mander’s column, headlined “Sonia, Sadly”, expresses his hurt at Sonia Gandhi’s public expression of fear that the Congress was being perceived as a “Muslim Party”.

In the very first paragraph of his column, Guha plucks out a quote from Mander. “A Dalit leader tells Muslims who come to political meetings: By all means come in large number to our rallies. But don’t come with your skull caps and burkas.”

“Mander is dismayed at this gratuitous attempt to get Muslims to voluntarily withdraw from politics.”  But Guha disagrees with Mander’s interpretation of what the Dalit leader said. Guha is emphatic: “while the words may be harsh and direct, the spirit of the advice was forward looking”, i.e. don’t come in skull caps and burkas.

This, I suspect, is the crux of the matter. Guha is endorsing the new line enunciated by the Congress Party: Keep Muslims at arm’s length just in case the BJP spin doctors pick up this visual to polarize. Rahul Gandhi’s frenetic temple hopping, janeu et al, is in pursuit of this soft saffron.

Apoorvanand, Harbans Mukhia, Mukul Keshavan, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Suhas Palshikar, Irena Akbar, Khalid Ansari, Jawed Naqvi, why, even Mander himself, have all written sensitively, even knowledgably on the subject. But Guha is a class apart: Muslims must give up skull caps and, to balance matters, Hindus their trishuls. His desire to equalize permeates the article. Praveen Togadia and Yogi Adityanath are bad but Guha will have his little orgasm only if Asaduddin Owaisi and Ali Shah Geelani are mentioned in the same breath. Togadia wants Muslims to leave the country. “Occupy their homes” he once famously said in Gujarat. Without batting an eyelid, Yogi heard his cohorts ask for buried Muslim women to be dug out from their graves and raped. Show me a comparable quote from Owaisi or Geelani.

“Yeh ajeeb majra hai ki baroz e Eide qurbaan

Wohi zubah bhi kare hai wohi le sawab ulta”

(Look at the illogical system of the ceremony of sacrifice.

He who slaughters claims the reward for paradise.)

The tragedy is that Guha belongs to the category of people who, because of their celebrity status, imagine that eminence in one field qualifies them to claim proficiency in all the others. His inadequacy on the theme he has rushed into unprepared, derives from a common malaise: he is a creature of uninstitutionalized apartheid which means separate development.

It would be interesting to know if Guha has ever visited Muslim homes or the other way around when he was a child. Did he know Muslims in school or college whose friendship he still values? Even if he is able to blurt out a name or two the undeniable truth will be that he has grown up only with his ilk. He has no experience of Muslims. He is not alone in this category.

A sharp contrast attends my circumstance. I, along with my three brothers grew up only among Hindus. Apartheid therefore didn’t touch us. Since our informal education was continuous since birth, we knew fairly early that Al-Biruni wrote Tarikh al Hind after his extended stay beginning 1017. Moinuddin Chishti, Shahbaz Qalandar and a host of Sufis and Saint poets like Kabir from the 12th to 14th centuries were spreading Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, paving the way for Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana who ended up writing the only Sanskrit verses in praise of Lord Rama. In his brilliant Persian poetry in the 17th century, Chandrabhan Brahman felt secure enough to taunt and tease the Muslim clergy.

Yagana Changezi, a 20th century poet, questions a basic tenet: why must namaz be said in a foreign language? If all of this sounds like nostalgia, let me invite you to Lucknow for an evening of spiritual poetry on Ahl al-Bayt or the Prophet’s family. The poet, Sanjaya Mishra, was a favourite with my mother who died three years ago. She had special vegetarian meals prepared for him.

I have shed light on the tiniest strand in the vast expanse of Muslim liberal traditions. Since the 16th century these have been bound up inextricably with the waxing and waning of Urdu in which Hindus and Muslims equally participated. The first great writer of Urdu prose was Pandit Ratan Nath Sarshar.

How many liberals know that  there is not a single couplet in Urdu which praises the Mullah or endorses orthodoxy of any kind.

Did you know that most of the poetry on Krishna, Rama in the last century has been written by Muslims? I will only confuse the issue if I bring in Kazi Nazrul Islam, Salbeg, Bekal Utsahi or Nida Fazli.

It puzzles me why liberal intellectuals sometimes fall prey to a tendency that the politician has cultivated as a calculated habit: consider the Muslim only as a religious category. Why must Muslim achievements in poetry, music, architecture, systems of governance not be celebrated? Such an exercise would surely cast them in a liberal mould. Guha might then heave a sigh of relief.

A false quest for a liberal Muslim leader almost flows from the above approach. A liberal Muslim leader, I never tire of repeating, is a contradiction in terms. That is an illiberal quest. Are we never going to find a Hindu whom Muslims can trust and the other way around? That must be the only possible way ahead.

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Over 5,000 tribals join BJP in Assam’s Goalpara ahead of elections

More than 5,000 tribals, largely from the Garo community, joined the BJP in Assam’s Goalpara district during a large-scale ST Morcha programme ahead of elections.

Published

59 mins ago

on

February 26, 2026

By

Hemanta Sharma

More than 5,000 members of tribal communities formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at a large-scale event held in Assam’s Goalpara district on February 25, weeks before key elections.

The joining programme was organised by the BJP ST Morcha, Assam Pradesh, at the Agia School playground. The event was conducted under the leadership of Riya Sangma, State Secretary of BJP ST Morcha and in-charge of the Goalpara ST Morcha.

Party leaders said the programme witnessed strong participation, particularly from the Garo community, describing it as a significant political development in the district.

The chief guest at the event was Samir Oran, National President of BJP ST Morcha and outgoing Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). Among those present were Bijuli Kalita Medhi, MP from the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency, Ravindra Raju, Horen Singh Bey, who serves as State President of BJP ST Morcha, and other party leaders.

Goalpara district has traditionally seen strong influence from opposition parties, especially the Congress. Tribal voters in the region have largely remained divided, making the large-scale induction ahead of elections politically significant.

Addressing the media, Samir Oran said the BJP has brought a new phase of recognition and opportunity for tribal communities across the Northeast. He stated that the joining programme reflected growing trust among tribal populations in the party.

Riya Sangma said many tribal communities, particularly members of the Garo community, had earlier felt deprived of adequate respect and development benefits. She added that the participation of over 5,000 people demonstrated confidence in the BJP’s leadership.

Dipankar Nath, BJP Goalpara District President, termed the development a “game-changer” for the constituency. He said the party remains committed to the welfare, development and dignity of tribal communities.

Party leaders expressed confidence that the induction drive would strengthen the BJP’s organisational base in Goalpara and nearby areas ahead of the upcoming polls.

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PM Modi crosses 100 million followers on Instagram, first world leader to achieve milestone

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has crossed 100 million followers on Instagram, becoming the first world leader to achieve the milestone and widening the gap with global counterparts.

Published

1 hour ago

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February 26, 2026

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pm modi followers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the first world leader and politician to cross 100 million followers on Instagram, marking a significant moment in global political communication.

Having joined the platform in 2014, the Prime Minister has steadily built one of the most followed political profiles worldwide. Over the past decade, his Instagram account has featured updates on official engagements, international visits, public outreach programmes, cultural highlights and personal moments, helping him connect with a broad and diverse audience.

With 100 million followers, PM Modi now ranks first among world leaders on Instagram. His follower count is more than double that of US President Donald Trump, who stands at 43.2 million followers.

Other prominent leaders remain considerably behind in comparison. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has around 15 million followers, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has 14.4 million, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has 11.6 million, and Argentine President Javier Milei has 6.4 million followers.

Notably, the combined follower count of the next five major global leaders remains lower than PM Modi’s individual tally, highlighting the scale of his digital outreach. Observers note that his presence on Instagram resonates strongly with younger users in India and abroad, reflecting the growing importance of visual and interactive platforms in political engagement.

Wide gap within India’s political space

The Prime Minister also maintains a substantial lead over other Indian political figures on Instagram. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has around 16.1 million followers, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has approximately 12.6 million followers.

The gap underlines PM Modi’s dominant position on social media among domestic political leaders.

The milestone reflects a broader global trend of political leaders increasingly using platforms like Instagram to communicate directly with citizens, share governance updates, and expand public engagement beyond traditional media channels.

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MK Stalin predicts frequent PM Modi visits to Tamil Nadu before assembly election

MK Stalin has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu more often ahead of the Assembly election, calling the tours politically motivated and questioning the Centre’s support to the state.

Published

16 hours ago

on

February 25, 2026

By

MK Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will increase his visits to the state as the Assembly election, expected in April or May, draws closer.

Speaking ahead of the polls, the DMK president said the Prime Minister has already begun touring Tamil Nadu and is likely to visit frequently in the coming months. He claimed that such visits could create discomfort within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as alliance partners may fear the political impact of repeated appearances.

Stalin calls visit politically motivated

The Chief Minister described the Prime Minister’s scheduled programmes in the state as “politically motivated”. PM Modi is set to attend various events in Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu, including the inauguration of the first phase of the AIIMS hospital project. He is also expected to visit the Thiruparankundram Temple amid the Karthigai Deepam-related controversy and participate in a public meeting organised by the NDA.

Stalin said he has been working for all sections of the population, including those who did not vote for his party. In contrast, he remarked that some leaders are visible in the state only during election time and increase their visits as polls approach.

Criticism over Union Budget allocations

The DMK leader also criticised the BJP-led central government, accusing it of neglecting Tamil Nadu. He pointed out that while approval was recently granted for the Gujarat Metro project, there were no major announcements or allocations for Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget.

Stalin asserted that voters would remember the lack of significant measures for the state. He framed the upcoming election as a contest between Tamil Nadu and the NDA, stating that the state should be governed from Fort St George in Chennai rather than from Delhi.

The ruling DMK is currently allied with several smaller parties and, at present, the Congress, as it seeks a third consecutive term in office. Its principal rival, the AIADMK, is aligned with the BJP as part of the NDA.

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