BJP MINORITY CELL MEET

Had Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister of Adolf Hitler during 1933-1945 known for having spread lies as a strategy to mobilise the German people for the war against the Allies Powers, been alive today, he would also have been put to shame by Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s claims about Muslims making progress owing to his government’s policies in the state.

There appears to be many similarities between Goebbels and Modi. Like Goebbels, Modi is also an expert at oratory. If Goebbels had chosen Jews as whipping boys and attacked them to mobilise the Germans for preparing them for war against the Allies, Modi chose to attack Muslims in 2002 holding them responsible for all the ills in the state as also the country. He accused them of increasing the population by raising the slogan of ‘hum do, hamare pachees’ (we are two but we will have 25 children).  His strategy of polarising the society like Goebbels worked.

Modi won two assembly polls – 2002 and 2007 – with thumping majority and also emerged as the tallest leader of the Saffron outfit, leaving even his mentor LK Advani behind. Modi is now making claims as prime ministerial candidate in the event of BJP-led NDA coalition coming to power at the centre in 2014 general elections.

But Modi seems to have surpassed even Goebbels.  Goebbels, who succeeded Hitler as chancellor, committed suicide with his wife and six children as he was not ready to compromise with his ‘principles’. But Modi in his aim to achieve his target is ready to go beyond any limit of falsehood. During Goebbels period, there was no transparency in German government and there was no way to confirm the degree of his falsehood , but in Indian democracy now with transparency, one is always caught on the radar of transparency as everything here is recorded if he or she attempts to dole out falsehood to the people.

But it is a different thing that our politicians and ministers are too much thick-skinned and insensitive that their repeated falsehoods don’t bite their conscience. So, there is no question of remorse or committing suicide as happened in case of Goebbels or even Hitler. Moreover, suicide is also a crime in our penal laws. But their lack of sensitivity owes much to an in-built system in our administration that allows wealthy, politically powerful and influential people to go scot-free after committing any crime.

Coming to the main issue, Modi speaking at a gathering of the Gujarat BJP Minority Cell leaders in Gandhinagar claimed that Muslims in his regime were equal beneficiaries of the development taking place in the state. And they were treated at par with any other community including Hindus and he was against ‘appeasement’ policy allegedly introduced and practised by the Congress.

With December 2012 assembly elections approaching, Modi said that Muslims of Gujarat enjoyed the highest per capita bank account ratio compared to other states; Gujarat’s ratio of Hajj pilgrims was also the highest; he also claimed that there was no curfew in the state in the last 10 years in the state; Gujarati Muslims are also doing well in business and commerce;  per capita income of Muslims in Gujarat was the highest compared to Muslims in other states like UP, Bihar and West Bengal  and their share in the government job was 9 per cent against only 3 per cent in Delhi and 7 per cent in Bihar though their population in Delhi and Bihar was about 25 to 30 per cent of the total population in two states. He also asked the Muslim BJP leaders to openly identify themselves as BJP leaders and not feel shy of presenting themselves as ‘Muslim Bhajapais’.

The figures given by Modi are totally correct. But the question is: what is the contribution of Modi and his government in all these things?  The development or growth of a community does not take place in 10 years. It takes decades for achieving development that Modi mentioned in his speech.  The fact is that everything was done during 2002 anti-Muslim riots to destroy Muslims in Gujarat. Their business establishments and shops etc. all over the state were decimated.

According to official figures, 1186 persons were killed, 936 of them Muslims. Lakhs of them were displaced and thousands are still living in resettlement colonies built by Muslim NGOs, not the government. But the Muslims have bounced back and revived their businesses and industries despite hurdles put up by Modi government at every step. But it is the entrepreneurial spirit in the blood of Gujarati Muslims that made them succeed even in circumstances made highly unfavourable for Muslims during Modi’s rule since October 2001.

If Muslims are really treated equal in Modi’s government and they have equal access to state’s resources and welfare projects, why were only Muslims accused of Godhra booked under dreaded POTA (Prevention of anti-Terrorism ACT) under which bail was not allowed and the Hindu accused in post-Godhra riots were booked under Indian Penal Code where it is easier to get bail. Why has not even a single Muslim advocate appointed as government pleader either in the Gujarat High Court or in any district of the state till Modi took over the reins in Gujarat?  Hundreds of Muslim boys are still languishing in jail for no crime of theirs.  Why have the Muslim localities turned into slums in the last 10 years?

Juhapura and Vejalpur in Western part of Ahmedabad began developing simultaneously after 1970. Vejalpur, an all-Hindu locality, has now grown into a posh locality with all modern facilities like schools, dispensaries, parks, entertainment facilities, banks and well-metalled roads, sewerage system, safe drinking water and all other civic amenities. But come to Juhapura, an all-Muslim locality and you find a difference. There are no potable drinking water supply, no park, no dispensary, no government school in the area with its population of about four lakh, no sewerage system, no storm water drains with the result all kutcha roads and streets turn into pools of water during rains making it difficult for children, women and old to walk and there is slush and mud everywhere during the entire rainy season.  Bank branches were set up only when the local residents approached senior officials of some nationalised banks.

What this biggest Muslim locality of the state has been given is only police stations and their offices. A government agriculture college and a state government run petrol pump were closed down. While the college building was given to police for setting up police department’s special operations group (SOG), a branch of the police department’s anti-terrorist squad, the petrol pump’s office is being used as a police chowky. The local Muslims wanted the college building to be converted into a school or a hospital as the building is located in the residential area and not fit for SOG office. But no one listened to them. Similarly, Vejalpur police station and Vejalpur police chowky was also opened in Juhapura. Besides, another police office of an assistant commissioner of police was also opened in Juhapura, converting Juhapura in a virtual police cantonment or a ‘chhawani’ as if Muslim residential area is a war zone for state’s police. Before 2002, Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses used to ply through main highway passing through Juhapura. It helped people to pick up buses for distant places from here and also to get down during return journey. But GSRTC buses have been diverted through another area. However, all truck traffic has been diverted to Juhapura, thus making life difficult for the people here.

The state government is also not allowing addition of new classes in grant-in-aid schools in Muslim areas. Government schools are also not being opened in Muslim localities.  F D School in Juhapura that has 5,000 students on its rolls applied for addition of two classes in Std XII owing to increase in the number of students this year. Principal Muhammed Hussain Gena told media-persons recently that he was not allowed for any additional classes by the state education department. He says that this will adversely impact the growth of education among Muslims because girl students generally don’t want to go to non-Muslim areas for schooling.

The Modi government has also not implemented the pre-matric scholarship scheme for minority students ever since sponsored by the central government in 2005. In fact, several NGOs led by Delhi IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Professor Bipin Tripathi have planned to launch an agitation against it in the first week of July this year. The scholarship consists of 75 per cent contribution from the central government and 25 per cent from the state government. For the last seven years, Modi government has been regularly returning the central contribution on the pretext that the scheme is for Muslims only and hence can’t be implemented in Gujarat.

Same is the case in the Muslim areas of old city in Ahmedabad and Vadodara. Roads and lanes are in a very bad condition in all Muslim areas of Kalupur, Shahpur, Dariapur,  Jamalpur as also Mirzapur in Ahmedabad and Moghalwada, Taiwada, Panigate, Yaqutpura and other Muslim areas of Vadodara. Water supply is hardly for half an hour only in these areas against the Hindu areas where there is adequate water supply and roads and lanes are well-carpeted and repaired every year. Tandalja, a newly developed Muslim pocket in Vadodara has also been neglected by the government like Juhapura of Ahmedabad. All the Hindu areas around Tandalja have been provided with all civic amenities but nothing is being done to improve the situation in Tandalja.

As for Muslim representation in government jobs, Muslim recruitment in state government has come down during the Modi regime. Earlier, in almost every recruitment process, about 9 to 10 per cent of Muslims were selected. Out of a total of 948 candidates selected for the post of deputy section officers in state secretariat and deputy mamlatdars in revenue departments a fortnight ago, only 24 or 2.53 per cent were Muslims.

This indicated that there was a deliberate attempt to bring down Muslim representation in    government jobs. If more Muslim candidates could clear competitive examinations for the state government jobs previously, how is it that the number of successful Muslim candidates
had come down now? It puts a question mark on the integrity of those involved in selection process under the new Modi regime in the state.

Besides, Muslims are also not allowed to buy Hindu properties as certain areas have been declared as disturbed areas by the state government. Any property transaction has to be done only after clearance by the district collector. Though the provision has been brought to prevent distress sale of properties in areas affected by the riots and help the riot victims, the experience so far has shown that Muslims are the victims of this provision as only they are prevented from buying the properties from the Hindus. The provisions have been cleverly introduced to prevent Muslim expansion in upmarket mixed localities. There has not been any instance of any Hindu being prevented from buying property in any area within the jurisdiction of so-called disturbed areas. This provision has restricted the growth of Muslims in terms of business expansion as also moving to better residential areas.

With these facts, could Modi or his supporters say how Muslims have been beneficiaries of development under Modi’s rule?