IN THE narrow,serpentine lanes that lead to the Dargahe Aala Hazrat close to the Ghantaghar in Bareilly,there is a flurry of activity at around 6.30 pm just as the evening namaaz is drawing to a close. A VIP visitor,in a convoy of SUVs that almost fill the tight lane leading up to the dargah,has come to call on its Sajjada Nasheen,Maulana Subhan Raza Khan Subhani Mian the highest temporal authority of the Barelvi school of Muslims. The visitor is the younger son of BSP minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui,a close confidant of Chief Minister Mayawati and the Muslim face of the party. The strapping young man,with his posse of policemen and accompanying friends and followers,could be carrying a missive from his father, but the Sajjada Nasheen refuses to meet him,leaving the task to his younger son instead. Barely able to hide his disappointment,Naseemuddins son offers a chadar at the dargah,is hosted briefly over a cup of tea by the Maulanas son and departs after expressing his regards. The visit from the BSP is but one among several from political parties trying to secure the blessings of the Sajjada Nasheen,descendant of the Sufi pir Maulana Ahmed Raza Khan,who founded the Barelvi school. Last month Congress president Sonia Gandhi had sent word that she would like to call on him. When he politely declined,Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh came and offered a chadar at the dargah. A similar missive was also sent by Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. What has set the cat among the pigeons now is the Maulanas statement,issued three days back,where he said that political parties have cleverly created a division in the Muslim vote and the community has always ended up being a victim of such conspiracies. Such division not only weakens democratic forces,he said,but also poses hurdles in addressing genuine needs of the community. To ensure that the community remained strong and made the right choice,he said,Muslims should choose such a party that is secular and works in the interest of minorities. My problem is I cannot take sides in favour of any party. But since many have come and have asked me,I have had to issue a statement, the gaunt-looking Maulana Subhani Mian told The Indian Express last evening,sitting in his office,an HP laptop by his side. My doors are open for everyone. I cannot hurt the feelings of one or other parties, he added,a twinkle in his eye. Muslims account for a bulk of the electorate and are a crucial factor in at least 30 of the 60 seats going to polls in the last phase of elections in the Rohilkhand region. The scramble for the Muslim vote is therefore understandable,more so as BSP and Congress leaders here feel that the Maulanas appeal indirectly hints at support to the SP. The BSP had won 27 of the 57 seats in Rohilkhand last time,the Muslim support apparently bolstering her Jatav vote base. The SP had got 17. Recalling how Rahul Gandhi had similarly come to him during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and sought his blessings,the Maulana said: I told him I could not give him political blessings,but if he wanted my blessings as a religious head,I would gladly give the same. Fifteen days later,Rahul came quietly a second time,offered prayers and got his blessings. Abid Khan,private secretary to Maulana Subhani,put his stand in a clearer perspective. The Hazrat never gives directions on political issues. But since there is scope of a hung assembly this time,he wanted that the Muslim vote should be effective, Khan said. Interestingly,the pitch has been queered by the presence of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council set up by the Sajjada Nasheens own cousin brother,Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan. The Ittehad has put up candidates in a number of constituencies and though it may not win,it could play spoiler by dividing the Muslim vote. In Muslim-dominated Bhojipura assembly constituency,where Rahul addressed a rally yesterday morning,the presence of a strong Ittehad candidate,Shahjil Islam,a former minister in the BSP government who was denied ticket by Mayawati,and strong SP candidate Viren Gangwar could lead to BJP candidate Bhojlal Maurya ending up as winner. The Ittehad-e-Millat is fighting the elections together with the Qaumi Ekta Dal,formed by controversial Independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari,on a joint platform called the Ittehad front. Similarly,in Bareilly city,Nawab Mujahid of the Congress,Anil Sharma of the SP,Sher Ali Jafri of the Ittehad and Mohammed Yusuf of Peace Party are competing for the Muslim vote,which could work to the BJPs advantage. Mayawati addressed a rally in Bareilly yesterday where she pointed out that her party had fielded the highest number of Muslim candidates in the Bareilly region. She also cautioned that the Muslim vote should not be divided. At another rally in Dhaura Tanda,a small hamlet with a high Ansari population about 30 km from Bareilly yesterday,Rahul made a strong pitch on what the Congress had done for minorities. Muslim intellectuals however disagree with such understanding of the Muslim vote. The development of the Muslim vote getting divided should not be seen in isolation, contended Jawed Wajib,an associate professor at Bareilly College. Muslims too have evolved. Now they are no more a herd. They were being treated like one earlier, he said. The primary focus of the Muslims,according to Wajib,is to defeat the BJP. Muslims have always been afraid of the right wing. Therefore in Bareilly city,for instance,the contest will be between cycle (SP) and kamal (BJP). But that may not be the case elsewhere, he said. Bareilly people are now jagruk (aware). They have become clever, said noted poet Waseem Barelvi,dismissing the tendency to compartmentalise Muslims as a vote bank. I am a poet and my views are very different. This is borrowed democracy,not Indian democracy. Indian tradition is to respect those who are able to sacrifice,whereas this system forces one to hanker after power.
