Bengal Elections and the Muslim Vote
By
Arshad Alam, New Age Islam
March
1, 2021
For
decades, Muslims in West Bengal voted for the Left. One of the less talked
about aspects of the Sachar Committee Report was that Muslims in West
Bengal were the most deprived community. In parts of the state where Muslims
had traditionally voted for the Congress, the situation was no better. The Left
Front rule in the state meant the consolidation of Hindu upper castes and
Muslims were told to be grateful simply because they were not being killed off
in ‘riots’ which beset other parts of the country. The Muslim question for the
Left was basically about providing security to the detriment of the
socio-economic prospect of the community.
Muslims,
made aware of their condition by the Sachar report, decisively shifted
their loyalties to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which led to the
decimation of the Left in the state. In the 2019 elections, a huge section of
the CPM cadre shifted their loyalty to the BJP which for the first time grabbed
18 parliamentary seats. The party now seeks to consolidate its gains further
and is leaving no stone unturned in trying to become the number one party in
the upcoming assembly elections. But then, Muslims comprise nearly 30 percent
of the electorate and no party can form a government without taking this into
consideration. Muslims have never trusted the BJP as the party has been brazen
about its anti-Muslim politics. However, how the Muslims choose to vote will
certainly impact whether the BJP is able to form the government in West Bengal
or not.
Preventing
the BJP from coming to power is an important issue for Muslims, not just in the
state, but elsewhere also. However, of late, there is an increasing realization
within the community that they have been taken for a ride by the so-called
secular political parties. That these parties are solely interested in getting
their votes rather than thinking in terms of Muslim socio-economic development.
Such realization has made Muslims experiment with floating their own political
formations, the latest one being in West Bengal. The formation of Indian
Secular Front, led by Abbas Siddiqui, should be seen in this light. That
Muslims have now realised that they need their own platform is certainly a
happy development as it is only through political power that a politics of just
redistribution can be done which will be beneficial to Muslims. Those who are
calling it ‘communal’ are basically afraid of the Muslim vote slipping away
from them. They have no principled position on the issue of defending
secularism as such.
How
should we understand this new alignment of Muslim consciousness in West Bengal?
In the previous two elections, Muslims have largely voted for the ruling TMC,
barring in some pockets dominated by the Congress. The TMC has largely tried to
control Muslim sentiments through the Jamiat Ulema e Hind and its West
Bengal leader Siddiqullah Chaudhary. The Jamiat is a Deobandi
organization which has facilitated the entry of Tablighis in the state
while the majority of Muslims are Barelwis. Abbas Siddiqui, as one of
the custodians of the popular shrine of Furfura, seems to be hitting
back at the Deobandi control of Muslim politics by floating his own
political party. Barelwi consolidation in West Bengal is not an
exception but should be seen together with similar efforts elsewhere in
Bangladesh and Pakistan.
One
important aspect of the political party launched by Abbas Siddiqui is that it
has adequate representation from Dalit and Tribal social groups which
feel left out. This message of inclusivity is important: the posturing suggests
a coalition of the marginalised and oppressed who now want their voices to be
heard. Moreover, it seems that the Left and the Congress, having realised their
folly, now want to ally with this new emerging Muslim political force. The Left
especially seems to be making conciliatory gestures towards Abbas Siddiqui and
it appears that they will be more than willing to give this Muslim platform
their fair share. If this alliance performs, then perhaps for the first time,
Muslims would have gained some political power on their own terms.
AIMIM,
the Hyderabad-based party, is also seeking to become part of this alliance but
so far nothing has been formalised. Asaduddin Owaisi’s party has had success in
the recently held Bihar elections and it is with this enthusiasm that they want
to contest West Bengal elections also. However, they must remember that their
success in Bihar was partly a result of four years of hard work which they had
put in some constituencies. Moreover, they had the good fortune of getting some
well-established Muslim leaders from other parties. Both these factors are
absent in the case of West Bengal.
They
have no work to show on the ground and till now they have hardly attracted any
known face to their party. As such, AIMIM would not be able to cut much ice
with the Muslim voters. Additionally, it has the tag of being an outsider
party, which might not be able to understand the specificities of Muslim
situation in West Bengal. It is true that Owaisi has a following amongst a
section of Muslim youth, especially those who are Urdu speaking. His chances
are far better if he concentrates on those seats which are bordering Bihar. He
should not, as a matter of strategy, contest those seats where there is even a
slight appeal of Abbas Siddiqui.
And
it is not just a matter of strategy but should also be a matter of principle.
The Indian Secular Front led by Abbas Siddiqui is an organic growth from within
the Bengali Muslim community. As such this political articulation needs to be
respected and all right thinking Muslims should support this front. While it is
true that AIMIM has opened up the much-needed political space for Muslims, it
is important to realise that there is no need for this party to have a presence
in each and every state. Local and state-level political expressions are better
suited to serve Muslim political need rather than having a single all-India
Muslim party. Just as Owaisi is not venturing into Assam because Badruddin Ajmal’s
AIUDF is already working there, similarly he should stay away from West Bengal.
Rather, the sole effort should be to strengthen the hands of people like Abbas
Siddiqui.
Whether
the Indian Secular Front would be able to make a huge impact on Bengal
elections remains to be seen. But one thing is sure that after the formation of
this political front, it will be difficult for any party to take the Muslims
for granted.
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Arshad
Alam is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com
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