Precipitating polarisation

WHY should 8220;exclusionist8221; voting strategies, when and if entertained by Muslims, be regarded as self-defeating? The power to vote ...

WHY should 8220;exclusionist8221; voting strategies, when and if entertained by Muslims, be regarded as self-defeating? The power to vote for one out of many candidates is nothing but an 8220;exclusionist8221; strategy exercised by one and all voters. Shekhar Gupta 8216;Pseudo-campaignism8217;, December 14 refers to this in the context of the Gujarat elections, to Muslims having exercised their voting right with the sole intention of keeping the BJP out of power. So, what was wrong with that? All who chose to give greater importance to Indian secularism exercised this 8220;strategy8221;. When those branded with Left or other parties vote against BJP8217;s 8220;communal8221; linkages, they are considered 8220;secular8221; 8212; when Muslims adopt this strategy, it is viewed as a reflection of the Muslim mentality.

Ironically, the concept of Muslim vote began being entertained by politicians and mediapersons even when it did not actually exist. Identifying the political relevance of Muslims on the basis of their religious identity has led to their being perceived as a group separate from the national mainstream. It is held, following the killings accompanying Partition, Muslims suffered from 8220;fear psychosis8221; and turned to the Congress for support. But Muslims, like a majority of voters, would have voted for the Congress, the only strong party, even if their leaders had not appealed to them.

Coining of the term 8220;Muslim vote8221; would have been justified were the Muslim population concentrated in certain constituencies and commanded absolute influence over a specific number of seats. Muslims are dispersed all over India, constituting 15 to 20 per cent of the population in several states. Besides, political configuration in the initial phase of Independence does not justify this concept. Even if there was a Muslim votebank, of say 50 seats, the Congress would have dominated Lok Sabha substantially with or without its support. Muslim support for the Congress was a part of the national trend. Likewise, whether it was the Indira wave in 1971 or Janata Dal wave in 1989, Muslim votes cannot be isolated from the national mainstream.

In the context of numerous ethnic factors affecting Indian political spectrum at large, talking exclusively about Hindu vote or Muslim vote is like chasing a political mirage. If the BJP has retained power in Gujarat on the strength of Hindutva, shouldn8217;t this also be labeled as 8220;herd mentality8221; exercised by Gujarati Hindus? No. Of the roughly 60 per cent of the electorate who cast their votes, the BJP received nearly 50 per cent votes which in essence amounts to the party being favored by a third of the state8217;s population. Should the other two-thirds not be regarded as Hindus?

Yes, as suggested by Gupta, we must stop being polarised along religious lines and talk about the economics of dal-roti. To make a constructive beginning towards this end, let8217;s stop defining political banks along religious lines. And stop playing the self-defeating game politicians want the media as well as voters to continue playing.